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Federal agencies mum on plans for migrant tent shelters in Tucson

Posted at 9:23 PM, Mar 18, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-19 01:24:09-04

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tent facilities to house migrants have been built before.

One was built in Texas back in 2019.

KGUN9 wanted more details, for you, about the plans to build one in Tucson.

We reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

An official with ICE told us to contact the Department of Homeland Security in Washington D.C., so we did.

An official with DHS told us we needed to contact ICE which had earlier told us to contact them.

No statement was provided by either agency about the planned tent facilities to house migrants.

We did receive a statement from Customs and Border Patrol officials, but not specifically about the plans for facilities in Tucson.

However they did acknowledge the need for such facilities, saying, in part: "temporary soft-sided facilities are sometimes necessary to meet operational needs that may arise due to rising encounters (with migrants), particularly under challenging circumstances.”

No word on where, in Tucson or Yuma, these facilities will be built or when.