Long Beach city officials are expected to speak publicly Thursday about the shelter that has been set up at the Convention Center to house as many as 1,000 of unaccompanied migrant children from the U.S.-Mexico border.
Long Beach officials are partnering with local hotels to collect books and offering the public other chances to support the children.
"We absolutely should ensure that these facilities are quality and are places that are focused on the child and are really centered around helping," Mayor Robert Garcia told reporters.
On April 6, 2021, the Long Beach City Council voted to allow the City Manager to negotiate a partnership agreement with HHS.
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Children between the ages of 3 and 17 could start arriving within days at the center. The shelter, which is expected to operate through Aug. 2, will be similar to ones already operating in San Diego and Dallas.
The city has established an online portal through its website, www.longbeach.gov, providing details of ways residents can support the unaccompanied children, who will be housed at the convention center until they can be reunited with family members or sponsors.
At the request of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement, local governments throughout the nation are being asked to provide temporary facilities for unaccompanied migrant children while they are reconnected with family members or sponsors. Federal officials say existing Border Patrol facilities are overcrowded.
The city and Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau on Wednesday announced a book drive to collect reading materials for the children.
"Long Beach is known for being a welcoming community and the donations of new books will truly enhance the children's stay," Long Beach Public Library Director Glenda Williams said.
Officials are asking for donations of "leisure books" for grade levels kindergarten through young adult. The books can be in English or Spanish -- or both -- and must be new. Textbooks are not being requested.
Starting Saturday, books can be dropped off at Long Beach Public Library locations or at the following hotels:
-- Hilton Long Beach, 701 W. Ocean Blvd.;
-- Holiday Inn Long Beach Airport, 2640 N. Lakewood Blvd.;
-- Golden Sails Hotel, 6285 Pacific Coast Highway;
-- Long Beach Airport Marriott, 4700 Airport Plaza Drive; and
-- Westin Long Beach, 333 E. Ocean Blvd.
Donations can also be made at the Terrace Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.
The Pomona Fairplex will also be used as a shelter, housing as many as 2,500 migrant children.
Federal officials say the goal is for the children to remain at the shelters for no more than 30 to 35 days. Children being housed at the Fairplex are expected to be primarily teenagers.
Bonnie Preston, acting regional director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said earlier this month that a majority of the unaccompanied children arriving at the border come with names and phone numbers of sponsors in the United States to show border patrol agents after turning themselves over.
However, before a child can be placed, the sponsor has to "be vetted, and it takes time," Preston said.
In some cases, if the sponsor doesn't seem like a safe option, the children end up staying in HHS custody in a long-term care facility that provides additional services, including county services to find a non-relative guardianship or foster placement, according to Preston.
The Long Beach Convention Center is also being used by the city as a COVID-19 vaccination site, and the shelter is not expected to impact that operation.