( CNN ) -- The flood of unaccompanied children crossing illegally into Texas has prompted the federal government to action , after holding centers for them overflowed . The General Services Administration plans to convert a warehouse in McAllen , Texas , into a processing center for the minors , according to a city building permit . The U.S. Border Patrol will run the 55,702-square-foot building about 3 miles from the Mexican border that will temporarily hold up to 1,000 children . It would seem like a drop in the bucket . About 400 children cross into Texas per day , said Rep. Henry Cuellar . The Texas Democrat represents the district where most of them enter . Many are seeking more opportunity or want to reunite with family . But violence in their home countries -- particularly Honduras , El Salvador and Guatemala -- is is helping create an acute tide of child migrants . U.S. authorities estimate 60,000 to 80,000 children from Central America will arrive this year in the United States without a parent or guardian . Some of them are infants . `` This is a humanitarian crisis , '' said Cuellar . The government has no idea yet how it will feed , house and diaper the children . Partisan fights . Political friction erupted over the inrush of unaccompanied minors after images appeared this spring showing some of them packed into detention centers in Arizona . Republicans accused the Obama administration of not enforcing immigration laws . Texas has been so overwhelmed that federal officials are transporting busloads of immigrants , including minors , to Arizona . Arizona Gov . Jan Brewer slammed the move . `` Not only does the federal government have no plan to stop this disgraceful policy , it also has no plan to deal with the endless waves of illegal aliens once they are released here , '' she said in a statement . Pods , holding cells . A floor plan of the McAllen facility shows the building divided into four pods , with each pod containing five holding cells for 252 detainees . Another floor plan shows a new chain-link fence around the property , temporary shower and laundry units , a play area , food service areas and an isolation area . Each pod will contain an activity space with a raised agent observation station . The children will use portable toilets with hand-washing stations , and detainees will be separated by gender and further separated by age . If it comes to fruition , the McAllen facility wo n't be the only one to house detained children . Naval Base Ventura County , which is outside Los Angeles , recently opened its doors to hundreds of children mainly from El Salvador , Guatemala and Honduras . Children also are being housed at Fort Sill , Oklahoma , and Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio , Texas . The General Services Administration has a 12-month lease . The building plans do n't have a projected completion date . Another new facility that will house 1,200 minors is in the works for Fort Sill . Oklahoma Gov . Mary Fallin has criticized the administration for over its decision to open it .
The government is converting a building in McAllen , Texas , into a processing center . Up to 1,000 children who try to enter the U.S. would be processed there , building plans shows . Unaccompanied children are a growing problem along the border . Many of the unaccompanied children refuse to unite with a family member .