HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- The children walk in lines of twelve. Some played soccer, while others played basketball. Most of the boys wear gray T-shirts and the girls wear pink. They wear badges that get scanned when they enter every building so staff at the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children facility can keep track of them.
That is some of what members of the media saw on Friday during a tour of a shelter where close to 1,200 unaccompanied minors are being held. No cameras were allowed but reporters could take notes of what they saw.
Children ranging from ages 13 to 17 are housed at the former Job Corps site. Most of them were straight-faced, but some smiled and said, ‘Good morning’ to the group of reporters who were not allowed to talk to the kids.
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A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said most of the children at the facility crossed the border alone. Fewer than 70 were separated from their relatives at the border under Pres. Donald Trump’s ‘zero-tolerance’ policy.
The touring group was taken to the dining room, which looked much like a school cafeteria and they were serving eggs, sausage, hash browns and fruit. They also saw the dorms, where each room accommodates 12 children.
Homestead staff say the children’s day begins at 6:30 a.m. and it’s packed with classes, sports and activities. Lights go off at 10 p.m. On average, children spend 25 days at the shelter. Afterwards, most of them are reunited with parents, close relatives or friends of the family. HHS says they fingerprint and background the adults who will care for the children.
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They also say they’re working as quickly as possible to reunite children who were separated at the border with their parents. But that process could sometimes take two months.
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