Migrant children walk on the grounds of the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children, Sunday, June 16, 2019, in Homestead, Fla. A coalition of religious groups and immigrant advocates said they want the Homestead detention center closed.

Migrant children walk on the grounds of the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children, Sunday, June 16, 2019, in Homestead, Fla. A coalition of religious groups and immigrant advocates said they want the Homestead detention center closed. / AP

As the controversy over how unaccompanied migrant children are being housed continues,  the Department of Health and Human Services is looking for real estate in five American cities for new shelters, including Atlanta.

The request for bids from the federal General Services Administration looks at an area southwest of Atlanta taking in cities like Carrollton, Fayetteville, Union City and  Griffin.

The request says Health and Human Services needs a space of at least 96,000 square feet to house up to 500 children under the age of 17. The request also stipulates the shelter must include classrooms, bedrooms, child bathrooms, medical facilities and 2 acres of outdoor space for play.

The other cities targeted for new shelters are Dallas Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston and Phoenix. The requests for space in those cities are similar to the Atlanta request. 

The documents say requests are due by the end of the month,  the shelters will open by this time next year and could be open for as long as two decades.

A map by the General Services Administration describing where in metro Atlanta Health and Human Services would like to put a shelter for unaccompanied child migrants.

A map by the General Services Administration describing where in metro Atlanta Health and Human Services would like to put a shelter for unaccompanied child migrants.

The request for bids for an Atlanta area HHS shelter for unaccompanied migrant children,

The request for bids for an Atlanta area HHS shelter for unaccompanied migrant children, / General Services Administratiohn

Tags: latin america  child migrants  migrants  Georgia Politics  immigration  Atlanta  Georgia