Republicans oppose housing illegals on military bases

Fox News:

Republican lawmakers are challenging the Obama administration over a newly announced plan to expand the use of U.S. military bases to house illegal immigrant children, warning that it will put a strain on troops and threaten military readiness.

The Pentagon confirmed this week that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has approved a request from the Department of Health and Human Services to house an additional 5,000 minors at DOD facilities.

The announcement has fueled concerns that what was initially described as a short-term measure is becoming an open-ended commitment.

“It’s very evident that this is not a short-term solution,” Donelle Harder, a spokeswoman for Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., told FoxNews.com.

About 2,500 young border crossers currently are being housed in facilities at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, and Naval Base Ventura County in California. Initially cast as a four-month mission, the timeline now has been extended through at least Jan. 31, 2015.

It’s not clear where the additional 5,000 will stay, but the Pentagon is conducting assessments to figure this out. Among the possibilities apparently is Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala.
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This is another example of how Democrats try to use the military as a social welfare organization and detract from their main mission of defending the country and preparing for war.