Pentagon asked to supply 20,000 beds at military bases for migrant children in US

The Pentagon has been asked to supply up to 20,000 beds at military bases for migrant children held after illegally entering the US.

The plans were revealed amid growing confusion over Donald Trump’s immigration policy, with officials struggling to implement his U-turn order to keep illegal migrant families together.

Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Mike Andrews said the beds being prepared at military bases in Texas and Arkansas would be for “unaccompanied alien children”. But other federal agencies provided conflicting explanations about how the shelters would be used and who would be housed there.

The immigration row erupted after it was revealed more than 2,300 children under 12 had been separated from their families at the border and taken to shelters in recent months. Faced with a growing global backlash after pictures of children in cages were published, Mr Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday ruling that families should not be split up.

“There’s conflicting instructions being given,” Michelle Brané, from Women’s Refugee Commission, told the New York Times. “It’s another example of this administration making these big, bold policy announcements with no plan for how they are going to implement them. It’s adding to the chaos on the ground.”

A senior Trump administration official said about 500 families have since been reunited. Federal agencies were working to set up a centralised “reunification process” for those still separated at a detention centre in Texas.

The developments came as Mr Trump waded into the row over his wife Melania’s choice of coat on a visit to a child migrant detention centre in Texas yesterday. The £29 parka from Zara, featuring graffiti on the back reading “I really don’t care, do u”, was heavily criticised on social media. The First Lady’s spokeswoman insisted there was “no hidden message” in her fashion choice, but Mr Trump contradicted her on Twitter.

“‘I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?’ written on the back of Melania’s jacket, refers to the Fake News Media. Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares!” he wrote.

Mrs Trump wore a different coat for the visit but put it back on to return to Washington. She ignored questions but her spokeswoman took another shot at the media’s reporting on Twitter.

Protests over the immigration crackdown continued yesterday. Hundreds of demonstrators attending a rally outside the US Embassy in Mexico City.