eight foot fences keep them hidden from the people of artesia. women and children come from central america's northern triangle, honduras, guatemala and el salvador. they crossed from mexico into texas, were captured by the border patrol and bussed here. officials say most will be sent home. last week, homeland security officials took reporters on a supervised tour of some unoccupied rooms. this facility is spanking clean, air conditioned and comfortably equipped and will help relieve the overcrowding at the border. four bunk beds with new linens line the walls of bedrooms. there are flat screen televisions, playrooms stocked with toys, and clinics with medical equipment. residents get housekeeping, laundry services, new clothing and three meals a day. federal authorities won't say how much money has been spent, or how many staff they've hired here. outside a local brew pub in town, longtime resident joann griggs questioned the federal spending. >> we're giving it away to people who are not even citizens of the u.s. mainly, we are supporting them

secretary johnson, thank you for visiting artesia as you've noted in our testimony. it's the first facility you've stood up independent for women with children. and when you visited, i would like you to think in terms of what are going to be the additional burdens on this small community. i mean, you will see a facility that's running a law enforcement facility on the same campus. it's a very small facility. they are now expecting and predicting 670 women and children in a very short period of time. i included in the dhs appropriations mark-up last week added language directing dhs to consult transparently with state and local governments and avoid imposing costs on local communities for these types of temporary facilities. and my first question is, prior to dhs making a decision to use the training center for family detention, did you consult with state and local officials? >> i believe we did. that's a standing instruction of mine to my staff, before we make a decision to go to some place for increased detention for processing, we should consult with state and loca

secretary johnson, thank you for visiting artesia as you've noted in our testimony.t's the first facility you've stood up independent for women with children. and when you visited, i would like you to think in terms of what are going to be the additional burdens on this small community. i mean, you will see a facility that's running a law enforcement facility on the same campus. it's a very small facility. they are now expecting and predicting 670 women and children in a very short period of time. i included in the dhs appropriations mark-up last week added language directing dhs to consult transparently with state and local governments and avoid imposing costs on local communities for these types of temporary facilities. and my first question is, prior to dhs making a decision to use the training center for family detention, did you consult with state and local officials? >> i believe we did. that's a standing instruction of mine to my staff, before we make a decision to go to some place for increased detention for processing, we should consult with state and local

and these new facilities like artesia can actually house family units. you're very correct.in the past, there were no more than 90 beds available for family units, and that was in pennsylvania. people are being detained now rather than being released at a bus station. we are continuing -- the department and under the secretary for leadership -- we are continuing to look at other facilities. withorking relationship secretary sylvia burwell from health and human services is excellent. and also there is the work they're doing with attorney general eric holder and the increases being asked for immigration judges, etc. and with the volume of families coming in, do they require a different type of facility? how are you screening these individuals? obviously in recent weeks we have had one notable case, a gentleman from guatemala was released with his children, reunited with his girlfriend, who had been released with her children and months prior. he is arrested in texas, two days after she is found dead in a louisiana apartments. what is the screening process before these individu

secretary johnson, thank you for visiting artesia as you've noted in our testimony.t's the first facility you've stood up independent for women with children. and when you visited, i would like you to think in terms of what are going to be the additional burdens on this small community. i mean, you will see a facility that's running a law enforcement facility on the same campus. it's a very small facility. they are now expecting and predicting 670 women and children in a very short period of time. i included in the dhs appropriations mark-up last week added language directing dhs to consult transparently with state and local governments and avoid imposing costs on local communities for these types of temporary facilities. and my first question is, prior to dhs making a decision to use the training center for family detention, did you consult with state and local officials? >> i believe we did. that's a standing instruction of mine to my staff, before we make a decision to go to some place for increased detention for processing, we should consult with state and local

ana cabrera joins us will i have from artesia, new mexico. what should we be expecting? >> reporter: we're at the federal law enforcement training center in artesia, inment number. this is a place normally used to train special agents, other federal officers but it has been converted in the last couple of weeks into a temporary housing facility for many of these undocumented immigrants. now we're told so far more than 200 adults with children, mostly women with children, have arrived here. they've been bussed here from texas, where they crossed the border illegally. again many coming from central america, so you can't just turn them around. we understand this facility has the capacity to take in some 672 undocumented immigrants, and immigration and customs enforcement owe fishes tell us they expect a whole lot more to arrive. we've learned that here they get to stay in what you might consider dorm rooms. they're provided with food and with clothing. they have access to a refrigerator, other snacks, other kind of everyday creature comforts, meant to feel more or less sort

he was in arrest artesia, new mexico and urged lawmakers to spend nearly $4 billion to stem the tidegrants. it has pushed the courts to case loads. the justice department has never seen before. in june, there were 375,000 cases pending in the immigration courts. 375,000. >> our border is not open to illegal migration. and our message to those who are coming here illegally, to those who are contemplating coming here ill legally into south texas, we will send you back. this facility, which was opened as a detention facility on june 27th, represents the proof. >> so what exactly did jeh johnson see for himself? cnn's anna cabrera has more on the facility now. anna? >> reporter: don, this is the federal law enforcement training center in artesia, new mexico, typically used for federal officers and special agents but has been converted in just the past couple weeks into a temporary housing facility for these undocumented immigrants. so far, we have learned more than 200 women and children have been brought here. bussed in from texas, where they crossed the border illegally, many coming fr

and he was in artesia, new mexico.it happens one day after he urged lawmakers to spend nearly $4 billion to hem stem the tide of migrants. so what exactly did jeh johnson see? cnn's ana cabrera joins me live. you went inside. what was it like? >> reporter: hey, don, probably not what you would expect, especially after you've seen those pictures inside some of those texas holding facilities so crammed and overwhelmed. really, when we went inside here, felt more like a college campus, complete with dorm rooms that have bunk beds, desks. a lot of rooms have television sets. they showed us the bathroom area. private or separated by gender. private shower stalls. we also got to see some of the toys the children have access to. hula hoops, baths, balls, stuffed animals. we learned there are more than 400 women and children bussed here to this, again, temporary housing facility. they came here from texas. and this facility is on the grounds of the federal law enforcement training center. it's a 3,600-acre sprawling facility.

>> the cost of running the detention facility we set up in artesia, i don't have offhand. i can get you that. not doing anything is not an option. it will require us to simply run out of money. it will make some dramatic reprogramming steps. you understand that your have said that already. where is the funding coming from right now to set up the facility that will house 607 -- >> coming tomorrow, our existing budget. >> it is being taken away from what? >> it is being taken away from other aspects of immigration and customs enforcement. >> thank you. thank you, madam chairman. secretary johnson, i think all of us can agree that we are facing a humanitarian crisis of the first magnitude. needed to may well be deal with the consequences of this crisis. address thenot causes of the problem. that is what is troubling to me. evidencetrary to the to think that some 57,000 would undertake an extremely dangerous journey to reach our borders if their parents did not think that they would be allowed to stay here once they arrived. administration has appointed to changes made in our

we've already begun the process of building an increased detention capacity for family units at artesianew mexico, where i'm going tomorrow. we need the ability to build additional family unit capacity. $109 million goes to i.c.e. for work with the three central american countries from which this migration is coming to expand their own resources. with respect to the customs and border protection agency, $433 million is requested, $364 million of which is for added border patrol agents overtime and the like. for their capacity. as doj will point out, that's a $64 million request, $45 million of which goes to more judge teams and to an increased caseload of 55 to 75,000 cases a year. the deputy attorney general and i have already agreed that with this added capacity, the recent influx should be the priority. the state department is seeking $300 million. $295 million of which is for repatriation and reintegration into society. members of this committee, doing nothing is not an option. at our current burn rate, within the department of homeland security, ic.e. will run out of money in mid-a

artesia is one of several facilities that dhs is considering to increase our capacity to hold and expedite the removal of the increasing number of adults with children illegally crossing the southwest border. sixth, dhs has brought on more transportation assets to assist in the effort. the coast guard is loaning their assets to help transport the children. ice is leasing additional charter aircraft. seventh, throughout the rgv sector, we are conducting public health screening for all those who come into our contagious diseases or public health concerns. both dhs and hhs are ensuring that the children's nutritional and hygenic needs are met while in our custody. that children are provided regular meals and access to drinks and snacks throughout the day, that they receive constant supervision, and that children who exhibit signs of illness or disease are given proper medical care. we made clear that all individuals will be treated with dignity and respect and any instances of mistreatment reported to us will be investigated. eighth, working through fema's national response coordination cente

. >> now, artesia mayor joins us and, mayor, do you believe secretary johnson says the u.s. government is determined to send these people back? >> i tell you what, miguel, that is definitely feeding some of the frustration. >> i do not believe him. that's what we've been told at this detention center. and until we see different, we'll believe him. >> and i know we spoke a little bit earlier in the week, mr. mayor, and it's mothers and children there. your town is not as concerned about it as others, but you did have legitimate concerns about this facility opening up there. what is your biggest concern today? >> well, today i think a lot of the concerns that we had early on have been taken care of. of course, the immediate concerns when you hear that an installation is being opened in your town is, one, security. are these people that are coming here, are they hardened criminals, are they gang members, are they drug dealers. and that became a moot point very quickly when it was determined that only mothers and their children would be brought here. as of this morning, we have

a federal law enforcement training center here in artesia, new mexico. a couple hundred miles north of the border. this is not a facility that's dealing with the initial immigration. it's the secondary facility where they're being bussed from texas to here. women and children are coming here. already more than 200 have arrived in the last couple of week since this facility opened to them. they can sleep up to 672 people at this center and so we're being told by immigration and customs enforcement officials that they anticipate a lot more to come here. here's the big difference from what we are seeing at some of the facilities in texas where you see the processing centers that have really created a lot of outrage about the humanitarian crisis. here it's more like a dorm like campus feel. they get to have their families together. they sleep in a dorm room. they're given food. they have access to refrigerators, snacks. they have clothing. children can play outside. they're even -- there are even teachers who come here and help to educate the children for th

regard to adults who bring their child and -- children, we have established detention capacity in artesia, new mexico, where i was a week before last. we are building additional capacity for adults who bring their kids here. here up to something like 6,000 beds. last week we began to repatriate adults with children back to central america in the flights along with the adults with regards to the unaccompanied children who are coming here as a part of this migration we have highlighted repeatedly the dangers of the long journey into the dangers of traveling with a criminal smuggling organization. we have repeatedly stressed the misinformation that the criminal smuggling organizations are putting out. we have stressed that there are no free passes and once an illegal migrants get to south texas and programs before to the action are those that came here seven years ago. we are reducing the time that it takes to repatriate unaccompanied children and we are adding resources to that process with discussions from the congress about the changes in the law. about the repatriation and about the effo

and i have to give great credit to the local chamber of commerce in artesia, new mexico, as they worked very hard as they received hundreds of donations from compassionate new mexicans across the state hoping to make a difference in these people's lives. and they understand that this is first a humanitarian crisis. they also understand that we're a nation of laws but that our immigration system has been broken for a long time and needs to be fixed. the senate worked for months to address this but the republican-led house of representatives refuses to even debate immigration reform. much less allow a vote on it. instead, republicans claim that the president's immigration policies, including deferred action for childhood arrivals, or daca, as it's known, caused a crisis at the border. mr. president, that couldn't be further from the truth. the increase in unaccompanied children started before president obama created the daca program two years ago. the united nations high commission on refugees has documented an increased number of asylum seekers from el salvador, honduras, and guatemala s

undocumented parents and their children at the federal law enforcement training center campus in artesia, new mexico. orlando signed up to volunteer for project oak tree on day one. he said he saw the immediate need to assist families facing this humanitarian crisis and he didn't think twice. he said his christian values and belief in doing the right thing drove him to volunteer. orlando gets the opportunity to speak to almost every single person that arrives at project oak tree. and said almost all of the stories that he hears from mothers has some element of fear for their safety if they were to go back home. orlando said that he'll never again say the words "i'm starving" when he's just hungry. becau -- because he knows now what starving really means. he says this experience has changed his life forever and that he'll continue to help as much as he can. i'm grateful for alondo's work in our community and for the many, many others in new mexico who have stepped up and shown compassion and done all they can to help. mr. president, now it's congress' turn to help. it's our turn to be par

just one of the questions that i get in artesia a lot, what about this. they've had suspected cases of t.b. yet, a couple of people put into quarantine for chicken pox and i think there are legitimate questions to ask about that and i don't see the republicans being the one to do the fear mongering. i don't know if fox news is driving and i suspect they are responding to a vain of tremendous concern and i think if people are put into any community, democrat, republican or independent, you see states saying you are not going to put kids -- put people in our school systems, not in our state. those are democrat states and as well as republican states so i think there are -- there is definitely a national opinion when it comes down to bringing the possibilities of anything into your community right now. one of the problems that we face is the educational problem. when we're in guatemala, i think it is less than half of the people who actually speak spanish. there are 22 or 32 different dialects of the mayan language. not even guatemala can speak to all of the

las alarmas por un caso de varicela en un centro de procesamiento de inmigrantes en la ciudad de artesiahoso.. el jefe de la policÍa seÑalÓ que el tÉrmino se usÓ en pocas ocasiones y que serÁ retirado del sistema de datos. la asociaciÓn nacional para el avance de la gente de color reaccionÓ y dijo que es un tÉrmino muy polémico que debiÓ ser retirado desde hace tiempo. y la ciudad de mÉxico impuso un rÉcord en cuanto al sandwich mÁs largo preparado en amÉrica latina pero no pudo superar el establecido a nivel mundial. decenas de personas elaboraron una torta, como le llaman en mÉxico de 190 pies de longitud con miles de piezas de pan, lechuga, cebolla y tomate, mezclados con cientos de litros de mayonesa, mostaza y salsa picante. la sÚper torta pesÓ mÁs de 1430 libras. buen provecho. a pesar de los esfuerzos por librarnos de los patrones de belleza que impone la sociedad, un estudio revela que la apariencia fÍsica sí importa a la hora de encontrar un empleo. sobre todo si se trata de un empleo bien remunerado. la investigaciÓn seÑala que las personas atractivas ganan mejor salario que el

a good example is a place in new mexico called artesia where they have a facility that has been used to train federal law enforcement officials. word spread that they were going to be bringing migrants to that facility, and the people in the town were very upset and worried about a whole laundry list of things. and among those things that they were worried about were an increase in crime, disease, they were concerned that the migrants were going to be bringing diseases into the community that didn't exist there. and then they were also worried about a population surge. in other words, they were concerned that the migrants were going to be placed inside that facility and then released into their community. they were assured by the government that that was not going to take place, and as it turned out that facility ended up not holding and you companied minors but mothers with their children. and that's kind of another aspect of this whole crisis. everyone has been talking about the unaccompanied minors and for good reasons. it's such an unusual surge of kids. but at the same time, the

-- artesia a lot. what about this? there are good questions that can be q.b.ed about that. but i also don't see republicans being ones to do the fear mongering or whatever. i don't really know if fox news is driving and i suspect what they're doing is responding to a -- vane of of tremendous concern. if anybody was put in any community, you see states that say you're not going to put kids and put people in our school systems, not in our state. those are democrat states as well as republican states. so there is definitely a national opinion when it comes down to bringing the possibilities of anything into your community. right now, one of the problems that we face is the educational problem. when we're in guatemala, i think it's less than half the people that speak spanish. there are 32 different dialects of the mayan language not even the guatemalan can speak to all of their citizens. so what are we going to do to provide an education for those minor dialects here? yet we're required to give an education. many questions come up that strain the resources of local communities

lackland air force base, the border patrol academy barracks at artesia, new mexico.ch better and nicer facilities than certainly a border patrol holding cell. >> very important to remind people that most of these undocumented are just kids, and in that innocence we have to protect them. let me ask you. it is now politically sailable to say we have to seal up the border. we need to do it now. this is proof of it, these undocumented kids. do you believe practically you'll ever be able to seal the southern border of the united states? >> i guess my analogy would be i was a police chief for a long time, both in buffalo and also in seattle. people would ask me is this a safe city? everyone had a different definition, so if we look at our border today, we have more resources, not only border patrol agents but technology. we have great working relationships, for instance, with the texas department of public safety, local sheriffs departments, local police departments. the border is more secure and more safe, and when you look at those crime numbers in those cities in the un