And, we are told that Lansing has been very “welcoming” to refugees in the past.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement continues its site shopping…..
Note it’s the Lutherans again here! (Remember they are contracted by the feds to serve the kids!).
From City Pulse:
So long as they are not Mexican or Canadian, unaccompanied children who enter the U.S. illegally can be held in custody by the federal government for up to 72 hours. After that, they are transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, where they are then placed in temporary shelters where they await foster care, a family member or a relative who can “claim” them or deportation.
Michigan houses two of the nation’s 22 shelter programs for unaccompanied refugee minors: Lutheran Social Services in Lansing and Bethany Christian Services in Grand Rapids. [Bethany is the agency that got lucky and had the convicted murderer as a client, here.—ed]
Bates said that because Michigan plays a large role in offering shelter programs, the influx of children at the nation’s southwest border will be felt here as well.
“A crisis like this strips resources from social services,” he said. How much Michigan will be affected, however, is unknown — officials have been guarded at best in discussing the matter.
The feds asked the Lutherans to not say a word to the media!
On Friday, Michigan United and Michigan Immigrant Right Center hosted an emergency conference call to coordinate an advocacy response about “the emerging issues for immigrant children,” but it was closed to the media.
Representatives from Lutheran Social Services of Michigan and Bethany Christian Services said they were unable to release data on unaccompanied minor children they house or comment on the Central American surge of children without authorization.
“The federal government has asked us to not talk about the increase in numbers or the humanitarian crisis at the border,” said Diane Baird, program manager of Lutheran Social Services.
“Historically, Lansing and the mid- Michigan area have been very welcoming,” she said.
See Lutherans lobbying for the “unaccompanied minors” here.