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San Diego Convention Center to temporarily shelter unaccompanied children seeking asylum

The area around San Diego Convention Center is normally packed with visitors during Comic-Con week, but instead are empty on July 22, 2020, in San Diego, California. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)

The San Diego Convention Center will become a temporary shelter for a number of unaccompanied children seeking asylum, authorities said Monday.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairman Nathan Fletcher said they responded to a request by federal Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who was seeking temporary housing for children arriving at the border without parents.

“The city and county will support this federally funded effort by providing vital services to these vulnerable children who came to our country seeking safety,” they said in a statement. “We are working closely with our federal partners to finalize the details for preparing to receive these young people and provide them with care, compassion and a safe space to transition while they are reunited with families or sponsors.”

Officials did not provide information on the number of children, where they are coming from or where they are likely to go.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.