Greensboro facility for unaccompanied immigrant children set to be operational
In this June 20, 2018 file photo, children walk in a line outside the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children, a former Job Corps site that now houses them in Homestead, Fla. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
The Greensboro influx care facility for unaccompanied immigrant children is set to be operational Friday.
The former American Hebrew Academy campus on Hobbs Road will serve as the facility for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). It will provide a transitional space for minors until they can be reunited with their families.
The 100-acre property has a capacity of up to 800 beds and will provide shelter for boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 17.
Children with no legal guardians and no lawful immigration status can be apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security, which then turns them over to ORR. According to a news release, there are nearly 9,000 minors currently in the office's care.
Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan shared in a Facebook post that the site being "operational" means it's ready to receive children, but the capacity isn't needed yet. She said the city will be notified when they arrive.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said influx care facilities provide additional bed space to help manage referral cases.
The children will have access to medical treatment, translation services and meet with a caseworker weekly.
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