Dayton, OH—Today, The Washington Post reported that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has written a letter to potential receiver sites stating, “HHS is no longer seeking facilities for temporary shelters for unaccompanied children at this time.”
For the last month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has sought temporary shelters throughout the country to house illegal immigrant children who are crossing the southern border of the United States.
During that time, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley has been in contact with HHS and unilaterally expressed Dayton’s willingness to house illegal immigrant children in southwest Ohio. Mayor Whaley also suggested two potential receiver sites located in the City of Dayton.
“In our community, Mayor Whaley’s proposal was met with a groundswell of resistance from local elected officials, key members of local law enforcement and concerned citizens who opposed housing an unspecified number of illegal immigrants in the City of Dayton and its surrounding neighborhoods,” said Congressman Turner.
"I was grateful to partner with elected officials and local leaders in Dayton to write to the President and ensure the administration was aware that Mayor Whaley's proposal did not have the support of our region and that the cost of providing for these illegal immigrants would have had a severe negative impact on our ability to continue providing basic services to our community,” said Congressman Turner.
“In our community, Mayor Whaley’s proposal was met with a groundswell of resistance from local elected officials, key members of local law enforcement and concerned citizens who opposed housing an unspecified number of illegal immigrants in the City of Dayton and its surrounding neighborhoods,” said Congressman Turner.
"While I am pleased to hear that HHS is no longer seeking facilities for temporary shelters for unaccompanied children at this time, a great deal of uncertainty remains about the security of our border and the Obama Administration’s enforcement of our immigration laws.
As new details and developments concerning this crisis emerge, I will continue to monitor the situation closely and work hard to make certain that our Dayton community can provide services to the people in Southwest Ohio,” said Congressman Turner.
###