Exclusive: Trump Administration Seeks Contractors for 3,000‑Bed 'Emergency Influx' Facilities for Unaccompanied Migrant Children

The Trump administration is soliciting contractors to build and operate large "emergency influx" campus facilities that could hold up to 3,000 unaccompanied migrant children — minors who arrived in the United States without a parent or guardian. Federal officials outlined granular site and operational requirements during a call with prospective providers as part of a broader effort to expand detention capacity and accelerate removals.

What the Proposal Requires

The solicitation specifies strict standards for rooming, medical access, security and rapid mobilization:

The proposal comes as the Trump administration shakes up long-standing agreements with legal service providers for thousands of immigrant children in government custody as the president accelerates a mass deportation campaign that has increasingly targeted families and children (Getty)

• Capacity and Layout: Sites could be as large as 3,000 beds. Rooms may house up to eight children each, with up to eight children sharing one toilet, shower and sink.
• Quarantine Capacity: Required quarantine beds are scaled to site size: at least 40 beds for a 400‑bed facility, 100 beds for a 1,000‑bed facility and 300 beds for a 3,000‑bed site.
• Recreation and Outdoor Space: The government reiterated its guideline of at least one acre of recreation space per 100 children but clarified the acreage need not be a single contiguous plot; indoor and outdoor recreation areas may be combined.
• Security and Infrastructure: Each facility must be surrounded by an eight‑foot perimeter fence and be within 30 miles of a hospital. Officials prefer locations within 60 miles of an airport and within 30 miles of pediatric care, behavioral‑health providers, dental services and diagnostic imaging/laboratory services.
• Rapid Mobilization: Contractors must demonstrate "rapid site mobilization" and a phased ramp‑up able to receive a minimum of 400 children within 30 days of contract award. Individual task orders could request additional capacity, including up to 1,000 beds at once.

Context and Oversight Concerns

Unaccompanied children are in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Federal law, including the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, obliges the government to ensure, "to the greatest extent practicable," that these children have legal representation and protection from mistreatment, exploitation and trafficking.

Advocates and legal providers have raised concerns about conditions and access to counsel amid broader changes in how the administration manages immigrant minors. The article notes recent disruptions in legal representation after a long‑standing contract with the Acacia Center for Justice ended, leaving roughly 20,000 children without that provider's services.

The proposed facility would be designed to respond to 'surges' of unaccompanied children arriving at the US-Mexico border, though officials have not yet determined a location for the project (AFP/Getty)

Separately, the Texas‑based Burke Law Group — a firm with no known track record representing unaccompanied minors — withdrew from consideration for a planned $150 million award by HHS after the agency announced its intent to contract with the firm. ACF later awarded a contract without competitive bidding to an anti‑trafficking organization, Our Rescue (formerly Operation Underground Railroad), which federal filings indicate could receive more than $244 million under the award. Our Rescue's CEO said the organization is prepared to assist vulnerable children.

"This gives us speed," ACF officials told prospective providers in the call, according to an account of the solicitation briefing.

Reporting and Responses

The Independent has requested comment from the Administration for Children and Families about the shelter solicitation and related contract awards. The proposal arrives amid a reported surge in deportation and removal orders for minors and renewed scrutiny of how the federal government cares for children in ORR custody.

Important factual notes: The solicitation describes proposed requirements and preferred site characteristics; officials have not announced final locations. The timeline provided to prospective contractors suggested contracts could be awarded by the end of the year, and task orders would allow the government to scale capacity as needed.