New holding center for migrant children opens in Texas

CARRIZO SPRINGS, Texas (AP) — A former oilfield worker camp off a dirt road in rural Texas has become the U.S. government’s newest holding center for detaining migrant children after they leave Border Patrol stations.

Inside the wire fence that encircles the site in Carrizo Springs are soccer fields, a giant air-conditioned tent that serves as a dining hall, and trailers that are used as dorms and classrooms.

The Department of Health and Human Services says about 225 children are being held at the site.

HHS says it needs the space to move children out of Border Patrol stations, where complaints of overcrowding and filthy conditions have sparked a worldwide outcry.