Official: 25 immigrant children remain in Nogales facility
Jul 22, 2014, 10:01 AM | Updated: 10:15 am
PHOENIX — Fewer than 25 illegal immigrant children remain in a Border Patrol facility in Nogales, Ariz., an official said Tuesday.
“Right now we hand under 25 kids,” said Nicole Ballistrea. At one point, the same facility held more than 1,000 kids.
While the facility is emptying, Ballistrea said she did not know if more children would be brought in.
In a statement, the Border Patrol said the facility remains open for any use.
“The Nogales Processing Center remains an operational resource for Tucson Sector and can be used to assist in processing individuals apprehended in other sectors as operational demands require.”
Arizona has been one of the drop-off areas for thousands of unattended immigrant children who have been pouring across the border, most of them in southern Texas.
A protest was held in mid-July after it was leaked that a busload of immigrant children would be dropped at the Sycamore Canyon Academy in Oracle, Ariz. Those children never arrived in the area. Similar protests in other states forced buses to be rerouted.
KTAR’s Martha Maurer contributed to this report.
