COLUMBUS, Ga. — Federal officials are considering using Fort Benning to temporarily house up to 5,000 unaccompanied immigrant children who are in the country without proper documentation.
The Ledger-Enquirer reports Department of Defense and Department of Health and Human Services officials toured the base in Columbus, Georgia, on Wednesday as a preliminary step. Oklahoma’s Fort Sill and Montana’s Malmstrom Air Force Base are also being considered for use as “temporary emergency influx” shelters.
Mayor Skip Henderson said Health and Human Services officials notified him Tuesday about the possibility, and he’d be supportive if Fort Benning is picked.
The base is in the district of Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop. He says reuniting the children with their parents is the ideal solution, but Benning would be better than housing them in overcrowded facilities and tents.