June 2016 Group Watch: Will Alabama House Illegal Immigrant Children?
Federal agencies will decide. Officials from the Department of Defense (DOD) and Health and Human Services (HHS) are scheduled to come to the state and visit facilities in Baldwin County. They will be looking at two Naval Outlying Fields in Foley and Summerdale to determine whether unaccompanied minors, who entered the country illegally, could be temporarily resettled at the sites. The site assessment will determine the feasibility of utilizing the property for semi-permanent shelters should the number of children referred by HHS exceed the shelter capacity currently available. While DOD officials will be present for the tour, HHS officials will make the final determination about whether the site is appropriate. Alabama Governor Robert Bentley and United States Senator Richard Shelby say the proposal is inappropriate. Governor Bentley says the states should play a more active role in the determination process and describes the effort as usurping the authority of the State of Alabama.
