The Department of Defense on Monday said it anticipates being reimbursed for all the time and resources it’s devoting to detaining immigrant families on its military bases, Foreign Policy reported.
A Pentagon spokesperson said in a statement that the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services would be responsible for caring for the 32,000 immigrants in detention, and would need to reimburse the DOD for its work preparing to house the families on bases.
“DOD is not going to have any involvement, any interaction with the children or the families,” the spokesperson said.
The Pentagon is currently conducting environmental reviews at two of its military bases, according to Foreign Policy and DHS has asked the Pentagon to build tents to house up to 4,000 family members, starting with Fort Bliss in Texas and New Mexico.
As part of the Trump administration’s zero tolerance border crossing policy, immigrant families who enter the U.S. illegally have been being separated for months. Trump directored border patrol agents to stop separating immigrant children from their parents and asked the Pentagon to help find a new place to hold those caught crossing the border.
