Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz and Congressman Troy Carter Demand Answers From HHS, ICE, CBP, and ORR On Plans To Expand Child Detention Capacity and House Unaccompanied Children at[...]

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz (CA-25) and Congressman Troy Carter (LA-02), joined by 75 additional Members of Congress, today led a formal letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director David Venturella, and Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Acting Director Angie Salazar, demanding immediate answers on reports that the Administration is preparing to dramatically expand federal detention capacity for unaccompanied children, including at a former Louisiana military installation with a documented history of environmental contamination.

The letter cites a federal solicitation seeking a contractor capable of housing up to 3,000 unaccompanied children per facility, with capacity for at least 400 children within 30 days of contract award, and reports that the former England Air Force Base in Louisiana is under consideration as a detention site. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, portions of the former base have tested for the "forever chemical" (PFAS) contamination at levels among the worst of any military site in the country, with groundwater still being remediated for chlorinated solvents. No cleanup plan for the PFAS contamination has been completed.

"When the federal government takes custody of a child, it takes on full responsibility for that child's safety," said Rep. Ruiz. "As an emergency physician, I know exactly what chronic exposure to these chemicals can do to a developing child. PFAS chemicals do not break down and they do not leave the body quickly, they bioaccumulate. In a growing child, that can mean weakened immune systems, developmental delays, a lifetime of elevated cancer risk, thyroid and liver problems, and a weaker response to routine childhood vaccines. Children breathe, drink, and eat more relative to their body weight than adults, and their organ systems are still developing, so these risks compound. Layer in the solvents still being cleaned up in the groundwater, and you have a facility where the water and soil themselves could be a health hazard, in addition to the psychological trauma of detention itself. Before a single child is sent to a site with this kind of contamination history, HHS owes Congress and the American people real answers. No physician would sign off on housing a healthy child there without a complete, independent environmental health assessment. Right now, we don't have those answers, and neither does the public."

"Everyone, but especially children, deserves to be treated with dignity and respect as they pursue immigration to America. Legally, we recognize that unaccompanied minors are uniquely vulnerable and require special care when in federal custody. It's imperative that the administration guarantees these children have a safe place to sleep, access to medical care, and safe living conditions," said Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (LA-02).

"This is not a routine capacity planning, it is a rapid, large-scale expansion of child detention, and it demands real oversight," Ruiz continued. "Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act because unaccompanied children are among the most vulnerable people in our custody. That law is clear: children must be cared for in child-appropriate settings and released to qualified sponsors without unnecessary delay. I am going to make sure HHS, ICE, and CBP are held to that standard."

The letter comes amid a broader pattern of preventable deaths in federal immigration custody. According to a July 2026 report by Physicians for Human Rights, at least 52 people died in ICE custody in the first 500 days of the current administration, a mortality rate more than double that of the first Trump Administration and nearly four times the rate under the Biden Administration. Reps. Ruiz and Carter warned that expanding detention capacity for children, at facilities with unresolved environmental and safety questions, risks repeating and compounding that pattern.

In the letter, Reps. Ruiz and Carter request written responses within 30 days to a series of questions, including:

• What factors led HHS to determine that capacity for up to 3,000 additional beds per facility is necessary, and what the agency's current shelter capacity and occupancy rates are;
• What alternatives HHS considered before selecting the former England Air Force Base, and what environmental and public health reviews were conducted;
• What short- and long-term health effects children could face from exposure to site contaminants, and whether personnel previously stationed there have experienced adverse health effects;
• What steps HHS is taking to prioritize licensed, child-appropriate placements and timely release to qualified sponsors, consistent with the TVPRA; and
• How HHS, ICE, and CBP are coordinating to minimize the time children spend in federal custody.

Reps. Ruiz and Carter also request a staff briefing within 30 days on the Administration's plans for the care of unaccompanied children and the standards that will govern any expansion of detention capacity.

A copy of the full letter is available here.