WATER MAY BE UNSAFE AT MIGRANT TEEN CAMP

Texas’ environmental regulator on Friday barred most uses of the water at an oilfield camp converted into a holding center for immigrant teenagers, raising alarms about the safety of more than 400 youths detained there.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said running water at the Midland camp could be used only to flush toilets or wash clothes because officials aren’t sure whether the water is safe. It’s unknown how many teenagers may have drunk from taps or used it otherwise. They are now being given water bottles for drinking.

Safety concerns have continued to emerge since President Joe Biden’s administration hastily converted what was a “man camp” for oilfield workers into a detention site for teenagers that opened March 14. U.S. officials have rushed to open new sites to hold teenagers and children crossing the U.s.-mexico border to try to clear packed Border Patrol facilities currently holding more than 4,500 youths.

The Midland camp did not have an active permit with TCEQ for a public water system, according to the agency’s online records. The camp is operated by Katy, Texas-based Cotton Logistics.

Texas Sen. Kel Seliger said Friday that water onsite is drawn from a well that the company drilled without getting a TCEQ permit.

U.S. Health and Human Services, which operates long-term facilities for immigrant children, said the water at the Midland facility “is deemed potable and is tested regularly above standards,” but would not say who did the testing and what the testing found. HHS also did not answer questions about when it learned of concerns about the water.