An increase in the influx of immigrant children coming to the United States from Central America is having the effect of an increase in government shelters to help house the large numbers of illegals. As a result, a new shelter is slotted to open in Tucson, Arizona as early as Thursday, reports state.

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President Obama's Department of Health and Human Services gave the contract for a new shelter to a nonprofit organization called Southwest Key.

According to Southwest Key's website, the organization is responsible for sheltering children who cross the U.S. - Mexico border illegally.

At Southwest Key shelters, children "receive counseling, legal and medical services, and attend an on-site school while awaiting the resolution of their legal case. The national goals for ideal length of stay in these shelters is 45 days as arrangements are made to either reunite the youth with relatives living in the United States or back in their home country," the site states.

Tucson city councilwoman Regina Romero told news sources her office had received confirmation that as of June 26 the shelter would start receiving minors from a temporary processing center in Nogales.

The processing center, which was set up by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, will be provided with supplementary assistance from the shelter.

The center had been set up earlier this month in order to respond to an unprecedented spike in the number of unaccompanied Central American children entering the country. Federal officials predict that the number of illegal minors apprehended by Border Patrol could reach as high as 90,000 this year.

Romero, who visited the Nogales center last week, said the new shelter would be a significant improvement over the center's current conditions.

"The Border Patrol want to do good by these kids," the councilwoman said, when asked about the conditions of the Nogales center and how the new facilities will drastically improve the state of immigrant children in the US. 

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