JUNEAU (AP) — A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says five unaccompanied immigrant children have been sent to Alaska.

Kenneth Wolfe said the children were sent to sponsors in Alaska between Jan. 1 and July 7. He did not respond to additional questions sent by email. The voicemail box on his cell phone was full.

This year, the federal government has placed as many as 30,000 minors who have crossed the border illegally with sponsors nationwide.

Sharon Leighow is a spokeswoman for Gov. Sean Parnell. She said a Parnell aide spoke with Susan Johnson, the department’s regional director. Leighow said Johnson would not provide the state with details such as the communities in which the children were living or the relationships between the children and their sponsors.