NC facility for migrant children freed up for FEMA’s use in Helene relief
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A facility in Greensboro intended to be used to house unaccompanied migrant children will instead be made available to help with hurricane relief.
Sen. Thom Tillis and Rep. Richard Hudson led the nine Republican members of the North Carolina congressional delegation in asking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to sign over a care facility in Greensboro to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
On Wednesday, FEMA announced that transfer is taking place.
“This already controversial migrant facility has gone unused for years, which is why Rep. Hudson and I have been pushing the Biden administration to use it instead for Helene recovery efforts,” Tillis said in a written statement to McClatchy on Wednesday. “I’m glad they’ve listened and this facility can now be put to better use by helping North Carolinians in their moment of need.”
The facility in northwest Greensboro sits on 100 acres of what used to be the American Hebrew Academy. The school closed in 2019 after 18 years as an international boarding school.
Officials with the Department of Health and Human Services leased the facility to use for unaccompanied migrants who crossed the southern border.
Lawmakers like Tillis and Hudson questioned HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra on how he planned to keep both the community and the children housed there safe. These types of facilities have a long history of abuse allegations. Without definitive answers from Becerra or other HHS employees, Tillis and Hudson have loudly spoken out against the facility’s use.
Despite that, the facility became operational to house minors in March.
But that never happened.
On June 23, HHS announced it was ramping down its operation of facility upkeep, though it would have to be ready within eight weeks of being notified that children would need to be housed there. It remains under that classification.
Tillis and Hudson reminded HHS of this when they asked the agency to transfer the facility to FEMA for use.
In a letter to Becerra and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, the lawmakers noted that the Greensboro facility has hundreds of beds and facilities for medical care, meals and education. It was created to hold up to 1,100 beds if needed.
“We believe that this ICF (Influx Care Facility) could be repurposed to support the state’s rescue and recovery efforts,” the letter stated.
They suggested using the facility for the thousands of people displaced by the storm, or as a staging area for aid workers.
The letter was signed by Sen. Ted Budd and Reps. Chuck Edwards, Virginia Foxx, Patrick McHenry, Greg Murphy, David Rouzer and Dan Bishop.
In a written statement, a FEMA spokesperson said transferring the Greensboro facility to FEMA is part of a “comprehensive, whole-of-government approach” to help those affected by the storm.
This story was originally published October 10, 2024 at 12:53 PM.
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