NEWS Markell Confirms Placement of Illegal Juvenile Immigrants in Delaware As of Tuesday, 117 unaccompanied minors, who illegally entered the U.S. across the southern border, have been placed in Delaware. Gov. Jack Markell disclosed that information in a letter e-mailed to legislative leaders late Thursday afternoon. The governor said the three-and-a-half page missive was a response to numerous requests for information on the immigration crisis his office has received from members of the General Assembly over the last two weeks. The children in question were placed with relatives living in Delaware by the U.S. Department of Health and Social Services (USHSS). Federal authorities do not need state approval regarding such placements. In fact, the USHSS will not disclose the identity or location of the families to protect their privacy. The placement families are responsible for the childrens food, clothing and shelter while their cases await review. We have been told by the administration that, before any child is placed, the USHSS vaccinates and provides health screenings for that child, Gov. Markell wrote in his letter. They will also be referred to mental health services if necessary. The USHSS will not place a child with a parent or other sponsor if that child has an illness that is contagious or if the child is found to present some other danger to the community based on their behavior or known history. The governor conceded that state and local taxpayers could be liable for some of the costs potentially associated with the new arrivals. If we become aware of individual children in Delaware who require services, we would certainly work with non-profits and state agencies to ensure that their basic needs are being met, Gov. Markell stated in the letter. Some of these children may enroll in Delaware schools while awaiting processing by federal authorities, as immigrant children ordinarily do. ... The education and other services come at a cost for the state, school districts and non-profit providers, and I am asking federal officials to work with states to cover those costs and ensure that these children receive appropriate care. State House Minority Leader Danny Short, R-Seaford, said the cost issue concerns him. If federal officials are not disclosing who these children are, and where they have been placed, how can we track the expenses incurred by state and local agencies in their care? Many of these kids have fled dire circumstances and most everyone is sympathetic to their plight. Having said that, local residents should not be tasked with financing a problem that is not of their own making and which they have no ability to affect. State House Minority Whip Deborah Hudson, R-Fairthorne, said state officials have largely been kept in the dark by the feds. My concern lies with the federal government, Rep. Hudson said. The costs of humanely caring for these displaced children should not be borne by our state. Given the way the feds have handled this situation thus far, I have no great faith that they will make good on their obligation to Delaware. More than 57,000 unaccompanied minors have been apprehended illicitly entering the country since last fall -- about double the usual number. Approximately three-quarters of these youths originated from the countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. There is some indication that steps being taken to curtail the flood of illegal immigrants may be working. According to information supplied to Gov. Markell, daily apprehensions at the border have fallen over the past month from more than 300 children per day to fewer than a hundred.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 22:21:11 +0000
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