Texas tent city that holds migrant teens to close

EL PASO, Texas (Reuters) - A tent city in Texas for migrant teens will close, the U.S. government said on Friday, and the children held in what had become a controversial symbol of President Donald Trump's migration policy will be transferred to sponsors or other shelters.

The shelter in Tornillo, Texas opened in June to house migrant children, many of whom were Central Americans who crossed the border alone. Immigration advocates raised concerns about how long the minors were staying in the tents and some protesters had set up camp near the facility.

"As of this weekend, the last group of unaccompanied alien children will have been transferred or discharged" and the shelter was on a "path toward closure," said Lynn Johnson, Assistant Secretary of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF).

Johnson said the majority of the children were released to sponsors, usually family members, in the United States, while some were transferred to other shelters.

Read more: https://www.metro.us/news/reuters/texas-tent-city-to-close-as-migrant-teens-in-us-government-custody-released