Holding migrant children in tent cities costs more than keeping them with parents: report

Placing migrant children in so-called tent cities is more expensive than holding them in detention facilities with their families, according to an NBC News report report published Wednesday.

The report, citing a Department of Health and Human Services employee, said it costs $775 per person per night to keep children removed from their families in the tent cities.

{mosads}But keeping the children in long-term facilities would cost $256 each night per individual, according to NBC News, which also said it would cost approximately $5 million to run a short-term tent city with 400 beds for one month.

The report comes as the Trump administration grapples with the fallout and widespread condemnation of its “zero tolerance” immigration policy, which is forcing children to be separated from their families at the southern border.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions in April called upon the Justice Department to prioritize the criminal prosecution of individuals attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.

A report this earlier this month by The Associated Press said that approximately 2,000 children were removed from their families in the recent weeks.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have condemned the policy and called for action, while President Trump has placed the blame on Democrats.

The House, which has been engaged in an immigration debate for weeks, is poised to take up two pieces of immigration legislation on Thursday.

Senate Republicans on Tuesday voiced support for an immigration bill that would end the separation of children from their families at the border.