The Department of Health and Human Services is planning to use a former jobs center in Arkansas to house unaccompanied refugee minors, a move three lawmakers are not happy about.
"The Department of Health and Human Services should not use the Ouachita facility to shelter unaccompanied illegal immigrant minors," Tom Cotton and John Boozman said in a joint statement, along with Rep. Bruce Westerman, reports the Washington Examiner.
"This is irresponsible and against the wishes of Arkansans who were not consulted about this decision. HHS is unable to provide basic information about who may reside at this facility, where these immigrants come from, or how long this shelter will last, and the potential risk to public safety is enormous. That is why we are calling on HHS to immediately halt any plans to use this facility as an immigration shelter. There are safer options for this facility that would be better for the community and Arkansas."
The federal government is struggling to handle a huge influx of illegal immigrant children into the southern border.
Through the first six months of 2016, border officials stopped 27,754 unaccompanied children, a 78 percent jump from the previous year, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protections.
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