The Trump administration is planning to move more than $260 million from programs like cancer research and HIV/AIDS prevention to cover the risings costs of keeping thousands of undocumented immigrant children in custody, Latest News reports.
The request to move the money comes due to record-high numbers of children being held longer. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, there are more than 13,000 children in the department’s custody.
According to a letter from HHS Secretary Alex Azar obtained by CNN, the agency is reallocating $186 million from other HHS programs and $80 million from refugee programs to pay for the rising housing costs.
Via CNN:
The documents show a plan to take money from a variety of places, including $16.7 million from the child benefits program Head Start, $3.8 million from HIV programs as part of a bigger $16.7 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, $9.8 million from Medicare and Medicaid program operations, $2.2 million from maternal and child health programs, $5.8 million from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, $13.3 million from the National Cancer Institute and $87.3 million overall from the National Institutes of Health.
The department has already reallocated $200 million from other programs to pay for immigrant detention, including $10 million they moved from FEMA ahead of hurricane season.
