Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson has praised tent cities housing migrants detained at the border, calling the conditions "quite nice" and saying he would like to build similar facilities for the nation's homeless population.

Speaking to Axios on HBO’s Jonathan Swan, Mr Carson described the tent cities as having air conditioning and heating, saying: “A lot of the people who have been detained there have been put into sprung structures and tent cities that are actually quite nice.”

“If we can do that for, you know, people who are being detained at the border,” he said, “why can’t we do it for our own people?”

Mr Swan asked whether such an equivalent to the tent cities on the border existed in the US for homeless people, to which Mr Carson responded: “No, they need to be built.”

Last year, the Department of Homeland Security requested the US military build six tent cities near the US-Mexico border to house an estimated 7,500 migrants detained in federal custody.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement oversees conditions for migrants detained at the US-Mexico border, as the Trump administration continues to build new shelters in the region for undocumented immigrants while implementing hard-line policies against illegal border crossings.

Customs and Border Protection explained the need for new shelters amid an influx of migrants last year, saying in a statement at the time: “The humanitarian and border security crisis on our south-west border has stretched our resources and processing facilities to the breaking point.”

John Sanders, a senior official at CBP, said the “temporary facilities will support our efforts to process, care for and transfer the unprecedented number of families and unaccompanied children crossing the border each day”.

Conditions for migrants at the nation’s southern border have received extensive criticism under the Trump administration, with reports alleging both physical and verbal abuse against immigrants detained in facilities throughout the region.

Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico Show all 24 1 /24 Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico Hundreds of Central Americans from a new migrant caravan tried to enter Mexico by force by crossing the river that divides the country from Guatemala, prompting the National Guard to fire tear gas AFP via Getty Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico Central American migrants at the international bridge that connects Tecum Uman, Guatemala, with Mexico AFP via Getty Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico Central American migrants - mostly Hondurans, travelling on caravan to the US - run after crossing the Suichate River, the natural border between , Guatemala, with Mexico AFP via Getty Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico TOPSHOT - Central American migrants - mostly Hondurans, travelling on caravan to the US- cross the Suichate River, the natural border between Tecum Uman, Guatemala and Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, on January 20, 2020. - Hundreds of Central Americans from a new migrant caravan tried to enter Mexico by force Monday by crossing the river that divides the country from Guatemala, prompting the National Guard to fire tear gas, an AFP correspondent said. (Photo by Johan ORDONEZ / AFP) (Photo by JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP via Getty Images) JOHAN ORDONEZ AFP via Getty Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico TOPSHOT - Central American migrants - mostly Hondurans travelling in caravan to the US- cross the Suchiate River, the natural border between , Guatemala, with Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, on January 20, 2020. - Hundreds of Central Americans from a new migrant caravan tried to enter Mexico by force Monday by crossing the river that divides the country from Guatemala, prompting the National Guard to fire tear gas, an AFP correspondent said. (Photo by Johan ORDONEZ / AFP) (Photo by JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP via Getty Images) JOHAN ORDONEZ AFP via Getty Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico Members of the police try to stop people crossing the Suchiate River EPA Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico A member of Mexico's National Guard detains a migrant Reuters Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico TOPSHOT - Central American migrants - mostly Hondurans travelling in caravan to the US- cross the Suchiate River, the natural border between , Guatemala, with Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, on January 20, 2020. - Hundreds of Central Americans from a new migrant caravan tried to enter Mexico by force Monday by crossing the river that divides the country from Guatemala, prompting the National Guard to fire tear gas, an AFP correspondent said. (Photo by Johan ORDONEZ / AFP) (Photo by JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP via Getty Images) JOHAN ORDONEZ AFP via Getty Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico A Central American migrant - part of a group of mostly Hondurans travelling on caravan to the US- is detained by a member of Mexico's National Guard after crossing the Suichate River, the natural border between, Guatemala, with Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, on January 20, 2020. - Hundreds of Central Americans from a new migrant caravan tried to enter Mexico by force Monday by crossing the river that divides the country from Guatemala, prompting the National Guard to fire tear gas, an AFP correspondent said. (Photo by ISAAC GUZMAN / AFP) (Photo by ISAAC GUZMAN/AFP via Getty Images) ISAAC GUZMAN AFP via Getty Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico TOPSHOT - A Central American migrant - part of a group of mostly Hondurans travelling on caravan to the US- carryings a girl after Mexican security forces prevent them to illegally cross into Mexico in Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, on January 20, 2020. - Hundreds of Central Americans from a new migrant caravan tried to enter Mexico by force Monday by crossing the river that divides the country from Guatemala, prompting the National Guard to fire tear gas, an AFP correspondent said. (Photo by ISAAC GUZMAN / AFP) (Photo by ISAAC GUZMAN/AFP via Getty Images) ISAAC GUZMAN AFP via Getty Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico Central American migrants - mostly Hondurans, travelling on caravan to the US- cross the Suichate River, the natural border between Tecum Uman, Guatemala and Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, on January 20, 2020 - Hundreds of Central Americans from a new migrant caravan tried to enter Mexico by force Monday by crossing the river that divides the country from Guatemala, prompting the National Guard to fire tear gas, an AFP correspondent said. (Photo by Johan ORDONEZ / AFP) (Photo by JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP via Getty Images) JOHAN ORDONEZ AFP via Getty Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico A member of the Mexican National Guard holds a migrant girl Reuters Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico A migran holds a Honduran flag as he cross the Suchiate river Reuters Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico A migrant reacts in Frontera Hidalgo, Mexico Reuters Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico Central American migrants - mostly Hondurans, travelling on caravan to the US- cross the Suichate River, the natural border between Tecum Uman, Guatemala and Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, on January 20, 2020 - Hundreds of Central Americans from a new migrant caravan tried to enter Mexico by force Monday by crossing the river that divides the country from Guatemala, prompting the National Guard to fire tear gas, an AFP correspondent said. (Photo by ISAAC GUZMAN / AFP) (Photo by ISAAC GUZMAN/AFP via Getty Images) ISAAC GUZMAN AFP via Getty Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico TOPSHOT - A Central American migrant - part of a group of mostly Hondurans travelling on caravan to the US- is detained by a member of Mexico's National Guard after crossing the Suichate River, the natural border between, Guatemala, with Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, on January 20, 2020. - Hundreds of Central Americans from a new migrant caravan tried to enter Mexico by force Monday by crossing the river that divides the country from Guatemala, prompting the National Guard to fire tear gas, an AFP correspondent said. (Photo by ISAAC GUZMAN / AFP) (Photo by ISAAC GUZMAN/AFP via Getty Images) ISAAC GUZMAN AFP via Getty Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico TOPSHOT - A Central American migrant - part of a caravan of mostly Hondurans travelling in caravan to the US- is tackled by a member of Mexico's National Guard after crossing the Suichate River, the natural border between Tecun Uman in Guatemala and Ciudad Hidalgo in Mexico, on January 20, 2020. - Hundreds of Central Americans from a new migrant caravan tried to enter Mexico by force Monday by crossing the river that divides the country from Guatemala, prompting the National Guard to fire tear gas, an AFP correspondent said. (Photo by ISAAC GUZMAN / AFP) (Photo by ISAAC GUZMAN/AFP via Getty Images) ISAAC GUZMAN AFP via Getty Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico epa08145436 Central American migrants, mostly Hondurans, manage to cross the SuchÃ­ate river that divides Mexico and Guatemala to enter Mexican territory, in City of Hidalgo, Chiapas state, Mexico, 20 January 2020. Hundreds of migrants are crossing the Suchiate River, which separates Guatemala from Mexico, in order to enter Mexican territory illegally after the government rejected their formal request to enter the country. On 19 January, a migrant caravan consisting of Central Americans at the border of Guatemala announced that they would postpone their crossing to 20 January because they still wait for other partners, with whom they estimate to add between 5,000 and 8,000 people. EPA/Juan Manuel Blanco Juan Manuel Blanco EPA Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico TOPSHOT - Aereal view showing Central American migrants - mostly Hondurans, travelling on caravan to the US- cross the Suichate River, the natural border between Tecum Uman, Guatemala and Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, on January 20, 2020. - Hundreds of Central Americans from a new migrant caravan tried to enter Mexico by force Monday by crossing the river that divides the country from Guatemala, prompting the National Guard to fire tear gas, an AFP correspondent said. (Photo by Carlos ALONZO / AFP) (Photo by CARLOS ALONZO/AFP via Getty Images) CARLOS ALONZO AFP via Getty Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico Central American migrants - mostly Hondurans, travelling on caravan to the US- cross the Suichate River back to Tecun Uman, after failing to enter Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico on January 20, 2020. - Hundreds of Central Americans from a new migrant caravan tried to enter Mexico by force Monday by crossing the river that divides the country from Guatemala, prompting the National Guard to fire tear gas, an AFP correspondent said. (Photo by Johan ORDONEZ / AFP) (Photo by JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP via Getty Images) JOHAN ORDONEZ AFP via Getty Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico The arrival of Honduran migrants to the border between Guatemala and Mexico EPA Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico Migrants pray as they gather near the border Reuters Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico A Central American migrant and his baby travelling on caravan to the US AFP via Getty Central American migrant caravan tries to enter Mexico Hundreds of people try to cross the bridge that allows the passage to Mexico EPA

Migrants rights groups have slammed the construction of tent cities, including the Hope Border Institute in El Paso, Texas which called the tents a “Band-Aid solution” last year.