NASA asking employees to help federal government handle migrant children crisis
FILE – In this March 30, 2021, file photo, young unaccompanied migrants, from ages 3 to 9, watch television inside a playpen at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility, the main detention center for unaccompanied children in the Rio Grande Valley, in Donna, Texas. U.S. authorities say they picked up nearly 19,000 children traveling alone across the Mexican border in March. It’s the largest monthly number ever recorded and a major test for President Joe Biden as he reverses many of his predecessor’s hardline immigration tactics. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, Pool, File)
maylen
HOUSTON (NewsNation Now) — NASA asked its employees this week to volunteer for a four-month tour to help children at the southern border, according to an email obtained by NewsNation.
The letter, sent Tuesday, said the government is looking for people to help house children who illegally entered the country without parents.
“This opportunity provides a continuum of care for children, including placements in foster care, shelter, and residential care providers that provide temporary housing and to assist with caring for and placing children without legal immigration status who have entered the country at the southern border without a parent or legal guardian,” the letter said.
As of April 5, the government reports the Department of Health and Human Services is looking after 15,193 unaccompanied children. Those are children who have already passed through Customs and Border Protection care.
NASA employees that are interested in helping would not be able to choose where they’re assigned. The four listed locations are: Dallas, San Diego, San Antonio and Ft. Bliss.
The problems at the border are becoming a growing issue for the Biden administration. The president recently appointed Vice President Kamala Harris to oversee the response.
Witness accounts of crowding and human rights concerns are growing. Late last month, a video of a smuggler dropping two girls under the age of six over a 14-foot fence surfaced.
Earlier this week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection released a video of an unaccompanied 10-year-old boy looking for help after his group left him behind.
President Biden also created a task force in February to reunify families separated under the Trump administration. However, as of Wednesday, it’s yet to reunite any families.
See the full letter below:
