Gov. Pat McCrory feels pushback after immigration comments
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Tuesday, Gov. Pat McCrory warned of the dangers of and to unaccompanied (and undocumented) immigrant kids living with "sponsors" in North Carolina. Wednesday, people in and out of the Latino community pushed back.
"I'm disappointed by tone he's decided to strike," said Angeline Echeverria, with El Pueblo.
Echeverria said the Governor hasn't been in communication with groups who work with Latinos in North Carolina, including the specific groups that help settle refugee children in the state.
McCrory said in a press conference Tuesday that last week he'd been notified by the federal government that nearly 1,200 unaccompanied Latino minors had been placed with sponsors in North Carolina. The Governor went on to say the state had gotten virtually no information on who the kids were or who they were staying with.
"The state is not receiving any information at this time on the location in North Carolina where these children have been delivered," the Governor said. "We are not receiving information on their gender or their names or their age or their health status. We are also not receiving information on the name of the sponsors they've been placed with."
McCrory counted off what he sees as potentially serious problems with the program from dangers to the immigrant children (in the form of potentially abusive treatment by their sponsors), to the real or perceived dangers for the health of local North Carolina kids (presumably from foreign disease but the governor gave no specific threats), to the additional strain on North Carolina courts and municipalities.
However, Latino advocates say it sounded more like fear mongering than well-meant cautioning.
"The governor is setting a very unwelcoming tone," Echeverria said. "He's raising alarms that are not warranted. These are kids who pose no threat."
If the 1,200 children McCrory said are being housed here in North Carolina were evenly spread around the state, there would be 12 more kids per county. According to a federal DHHS website (linked below), all incoming kids are given health screenings, vaccinations, mental health evaluations, and are screened for tuberculosis before being placed in North Carolina homes.
"I don't think there's any risk to North Carolinians," said Echeverria. "I think the fact the governor would even imply that is very unkind and unwelcoming. It's not the kind of tone we want set for North Carolina."
But Wednesday, McCrory doubled down saying his concern is mainly for the kids themselves.
"I'm worried about these children," he said. "We don't know where the over 1,100 children are right now or the status of their legal guardians or whether these children are protected."
McCrory says he's directing multiple state agencies and local law enforcement to make a concerted effort to find and track the minors and ensure they are "returned home" as quickly as possible.
Here are some resources on the Unaccompanied Alien Children program:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/orr/unaccompanied_childrens_services_fact_sheet.pdf
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/unaccompanied-children-frequently-asked-questions
http://www.dhs.gov/unaccompanied-children-southwest-border
