A center for housing unaccompanied migrant children in Greensboro, N.C., will begin operating on Friday, federal officials said. The center, at the former American Hebrew Academy, can house up to 800 girls and boys from 13 to 17 years old, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
It’s not clear when federal officials may start moving migrant children to the campus.
Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughn said the city was told on March 1 that the center will be operational March 15.
“This means the Greensboro Children’s Center will be ready to house children. It is important to note that no children will be placed at the facility at this time,” the mayor’s office said.
“As of today, there are no children in care at the site and no activation date. Opening the facility will depend on a variety of factors, including capacity requirements and unaccompanied children referral rates, among other considerations. Current facilities on campus will be utilized for education, housing, mental health, medical and case management needs,” according to HHS.
North Carolina’s two senators, along with four Republican members of the House, sent a letter to HHS criticizing the department for what they called “a lack of transparency.”
“Our offices were notified late afternoon on Friday, March 1, 2024, despite repeated, outstanding requests for answers about plans for operationalizing the facility. We are frustrated by this sudden announcement and the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) lack of transparency to Congress and the State of North Carolina related to this issue,” Sen. Thom Tillis and the other wrote.
“While we have continued to push for information about this facility, we have consistently faced significant delays in responses to our inquiries. Congressman Hudson and Senator Tillis have both submitted questions for the record (QFRs) concerning the Greensboro facility,” the letter said. They say HHS has never responded to their questions about the center.
Tillis and the other Republicans who signed the letter faulted the Biden administration’s immigration policies.
“We are particularly concerned about the need for a facility 2,000 miles away from the border in North Carolina. It is time for President Biden to take action to secure our border and address the crisis of unaccompanied minor migration with real solutions,” they wrote.
Immigration is one of the top issues for politicians and voters this year, and Washington has been deadlocked in what to do about it.
There was hope Congress could pass an immigration bill when a bipartisan compromise was released last month. Democrats made concessions to immigration policy that were once unthinkable to the party. But then it was Republicans who sank the bill after former President Donald Trump came out against it.