The Trump administration is planning to shift more than $260 million to cover the rising cost and strain of housing thousands of undocumented immigrant children in their custody — including millions of dollars from programs like cancer research and HIV/AIDS prevention.
The request comes as the program has been strained by record-high levels of children in custody, driven in large part by new policies that are holding kids longer and making it more difficult for them to be released to adults, such as family members.
It also comes amid news that the Department of Health and Human Services once again could not locate 1,500 children it had released over a three-month period.
There are more than 13,000 children currently in HHS custody, spokeswoman Evelyn Stauffer told CNN. The number fluctuates daily, but that is higher than the record-setting 12,800 in custody last week.
The program request is detailed in a letter to Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, and other […]