NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Federal Airfield next to Mountain View could be a future site to house unaccompanied migrant children.
According to the White House, the United States Department of Health and Human Services is looking into whether federal facilities, like NASA Ames, have the room to house the children.
"We still want to ensure that we have facilities that are safe, licensed and prepared to house children," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
A record number of unaccompanied migrant children are in Border Patrol custody – more than 3,200, with nearly half held beyond the legal 3-day limit – and the facilities holding them currently are dangerously overcrowded, especially during a pandemic.
Local charitable agencies said they'll be watching closely
HHS, in a statement, confirmed plans to tour the site on Thursday. NASA also issued a statement, saying, "HHS and NASA’s Ames Research Center are coordinating a site assessment of some currently vacant property at Moffett Field, California, for HHS personnel to determine whether certain facilities at the site might be suitable to temporarily provide shelter space in the future. This effort will have no impact on NASA’s ability to conduct its primary missions."
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