Thread: 122 illegal alien children placed in Iowa

122 immigrant children placed in Iowa

William Petroski, bpetrosk@dmreg.com 2:01 p.m. CDT July 22, 2014


(Photo: The Register)

A total of 122 immigrant children have been sent to Iowa, but it's unknown whether they are from Central America or where they residing, according to Gov. Terry Branstad's chief spokesman.

Jimmy Centers, Branstad's communications director, told the Des Moines Register Tuesday that the Iowa Department of Human Services has confirmed the figures with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,but that federal officials haven't provided any other details about the children.

"We are uncertain of their status and where they're from because they haven't responded to our questions. The Obama administration's lack of transparency regarding their immigration crisis has made it difficult to get answers," Centers said.

Branstad has taken heat politically for not welcoming Central American children who have crossed the border into the U.S., saying it would send the wrong message about illegal immigration. He has called upon President Barack Obama to tighten border security.

The Omaha World-Herald reported Tuesday that the 122 children came to Iowa during the first six months of the year. The newspaper quoted HHS spokesman Kenneth Wolfe in Washington, D.C., as saying the children the children were released to relatives or other sponsors. None was placed in a shelter, he said.

Wolfe did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday. A spokesman for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement referred all questions to HHS officials in Washington, D.C.

More than 57,000 children have been detained by federal officials after crossing Mexican border into the United States since Oct. 1. Most are from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, with many fleeing gang violence or poverty, officials say.

"There are no illegal immigrant shelters in Iowa, nor are there illegal immigrants from the southern border crisis in state facilities," Centers said. If the Obama administration placed illegal immigrant children in Iowa, it would come as a surprise, especially given that Branstad recently met with U.S. HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who never mentioned it, he said.

"Gov. Branstad empathizes with the children who are seeking a better life in America, but he believes we must secure our border first and follow immigration laws already in place," Centers added. "The governor is concerned that the situation at the border, if not handled properly, may encourage others to attempt the very dangerous journey across Central America and Mexico."

Amy Lorentzen McCoy, a spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Human Services, said the state agency is not involved in the custody, transport or placement of so-called "Unaccompanied Alien Children," a term used for children coming to the U.S. without their mothers and fathers. The UAC program is a federal initiative, she said.

Aides to U.S. Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Tuesday they also had no details on the arrival of the children in Iowa.

State Sen. Jack Hatch, a Democrat who is opposing Branstad for governor in November's election, has called for a nonpartisan initiative to assist Central American children who have crossed the border in recent months. Hatch said the Central American children are seeking refugee status under a law passed by Congress in 2008 and signed by President George W. Bush because they are victims of human trafficking and violence in their countries.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/sto...aide/13000855/

And, because they were picked up by parents/sponsors, without detention we KNOW NOTHING of the health of these. The pick-uppers signed for responsibility of their health, so the feds can claim immunity from any resulting illness of Americans. Sweet, Holder is your signature on that plan?

They have probably been safely delivered, at your expense, to their illegal alien parents.

RELATED

http://www.alipac.us/f12/doctors-now...enters-306524/

. . . Shawn Moran, who is with the U.S. Border Patrol Council, which represents Border Patrol agents nationwide, says doctors and other health professionals are now in place at the shelters housing the migrants to make sure they don't have any communicable diseases before they are sent across the country. . .

RELATED

“Over half of the sponsors are parents of the child,” Wolfe said, citing the percentage of children with this placement status at 55 percent."

http://www.alipac.us/f12/hhs-96%25-4...92-u-s-307833/