LAWTON, Okla. (AP) — Officials say unaccompanied children who were apprehended as they tried to enter the U.S. illegally will be housed at Fort Sill by the end of the week.
Fort Sill announced Monday that between 600 to 1,200 children will reside at the installation on a temporary basis until they can be reunited with their families or placed with a sponsor.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families will be responsible for their care. An agency spokesman says the children are expected to arrive at Fort Sill starting Friday.
Authorities arrested 47,017 unaccompanied children on the border from October through May, up 92 percent from the same period a year earlier.
Oklahoma's congressional delegation has blasted the plan, saying it could raise security issues.