Private Christian Camp Prepares to Receive Thousands of Unaccompanied Migrant Children

A private Christian organization that runs adventure camps in New Mexico is anticipating the arrival of what it said could be more than 2,000 unaccompanied migrant children.

Glorieta Adventure Camps announced the migrants' expected arrival on the job listings portion of its website, where the organization requested assistance to manage what it referred to as an "emergency intake site."

"We have been asked by the White House and HHS (Health and Human Services) to prepare our facilities immediately to be able to house and feed potentially 2,400 unaccompanied children," Glorieta Adventure Camps wrote. "We're asking that you help us with this urgent need as we need people to help with meals, recreation, youth supervision, and housekeeping."

The listing goes on to direct people who may be interested in contributing their time to fill out an online application form.

An executive assistant with the organization told the Associated Press that Glorieta Adventure Camps is prepared to receive migrants starting on Thursday but said the contract with federal officials had yet to be completed.

For more reporting on this story from the Associated Press, see below.

President Joe Biden is under pressure to address immigration concerns as thousands of children and families have been arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border and packing holding facilities.

The Border Patrol is apprehending more children daily than Health and Human Services is placing with U.S. sponsors, leading to a severe backlog. The Border Patrol generally is not supposed to detain children for more than three days, but Health and Human Services lacks space.

For the first time Tuesday, the Biden administration allowed journalists from The Associated Press and a crew from CBS inside its main border detention facility for migrant children in Texas. The tour revealed a severely overcrowded tent structure where more than 4,000 people, including children and families, were crammed into a space intended for 250.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's office said Wednesday that it was aware only that the Biden administration was seeking temporary sites for unaccompanied children but didn't have any details or information about where or what facilities were being considered.

Brian Sayler with the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management told The Associated Press last week that the state was in regular communication with U.S. Customs and Border Protection as well as federal emergency management and homeland security officials.

"New Mexico is requesting that these federal agencies stand up a coordinated response to address any increase in border activity," he said at the time, adding that the state also has been talking with local emergency managers and nongovernment groups.

Glorieta Camps, operated by a Christian faith-based nonprofit called Glorieta 2.0, sits on a 2,400-acre property. Facilities include more than 100 buildings for sleeping, eating, meeting, worship and playing, according to the camp's website.

Camp employees and other groups were calling on the public to help provide supplies and were seeking volunteers to help care for the kids. Social media posts and emails were requesting toiletries, bath towels, water bottles and clothes for 13- to 17-year-old boys.