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US Senators for Oklahoma James Lankford and Jim Inhofe joined Congressman Tom Cole in making statements.

These statements come after the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced their temporary plan to house unaccompanied minors at military installations, including Fort Sill.

Sen. Lankford said the nation saw a large increase of people crossing the southern border in 2014. He said President Obama declared a 'humanitarian crisis” that required Ft. Sill to house Unaccompanied Alien Children as a result.

President Trump has requested an additional $4.5 billion this year on top of the $1.3 billion already spent just to care for UACs. The Senator said he was frustrated by President Obama’s lack of engagement in the problem.

In May, Sen. Lankford introduced bipartisan legislation to improve the care and safety for UACs. During a recent hearing, Lankford questioned acting DHS Secretary on the humanitarian crisis at the US-Mexico border.

After the federal government re-opened and the border security dispute ended, Lankford voted to support President Trump’s emergency declaration at the southern border because of the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

DOD has also secured a memorandum of understanding with HHS to ensure that any funds expended by DOD in connection with this mission are reimbursed by HHS. This will preserve precious resources for our men and women in uniform.

HHS has also committed to providing tours and briefings to elected officials, stakeholders, and press.