Resettling of Migrant Children on Long Island Causes Uproar
Alex Costello, Patch, October 20, 2021
What has been called a secret resettlement of unaccompanied minors from the US-Mexico border has many politicians angry and confused, saying they were left in the dark about children being flown to the New York area.
An investigation by the New York Post found that unaccompanied minors from the border were flown to Westchester County Airport late at night, and then put on buses and taken to locations in New Jersey, and to a facility here on Long Island.
Congressman Tom Suozzi, a Democrat who represents the Syosset area, said that there were about 100 children at the MercyFirst facility, and 50 of them were related to immigration. {snip}
According to a letter Suozzi sent the president, the Office of Refugee Resettlement has documented 2,494 unaccompanied children have been relocated to Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties as of June.
In the letter, Suozzi said his largest concern is the strain these children could put on local schools.
At a news conference on Oct. 19, Fox News's Peter Doocy asked Press Secretary Jen Psaki about the late-night flights coming to the area. Psaki admitted they were "early flights," and said that the government had a legal and moral responsibility to care for unaccompanied children until they could be united with a parent or vetted sponsor.
{snip} Rep. Andrew Garbarino, a Republican who represents the state's 2nd District on Long Island's South Shore, said he was worried about unaccompanied minors coming into the area.
"This attempt by your administration to quietly transport unaccompanied minors in the dead of night is unconscionable," Garbarino wrote in a letter to President Joe Biden. "My constituents and I deserve to know who is entering our community. The fact that security vetting information and the COVID-19 status of these migrants are unknown is extremely alarming to me as the representative for the almost 700,000 Americans in NY-02 who may now be exposed to security and health risks."
Topics: Immigrants, Immigration, New York City
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