Former Trump Department of Homeland Secretary John Kelly has joined the board of the nation’s largest company operating shelters for migrant children who come to the U.S. unaccompanied.
Caliburn International CEO James Van Dusen confirmed to CBS News Friday that Kelly had joined the company, calling him a “strong strategic addition to our team.”
Per CBS, Caliburn is the only private company running these shelter facilities, and is not required to open their doors for inspections from state child welfare experts. Its Homestead, Florida shelter is currently in the process of expanding from 1,250 to 3,200 beds, according to CBS.
Immigration policies that Kelly helped enact during his tenure at DHS have prompted this expansion of shelter facilities for migrant children. This year, the Trump administration requested $2.8 billion to construct shelters that can house some 23,600 unaccompanied children, the Associated Press reported.
The average length of stay in these facilities has also steadily climbed during Trump’s time in office, going from 40 days in 2016 to 59 in 2018 and all the way up to 66 as of this year.
