The bill would give states the right to reject federal proposals to establish housing facilities for unaccompanied alien children, Turner said in a statement.
“The ability of the federal government to hand-pick a city, county or state as a UAC receiver site without first consulting the governor’s office disregards the real impact these decisions have on regional communities and significantly diminishes states’ rights,” Turner said.
The bill would require the federal government to give states 90 days to review proposals to send undocumented migrant children to their states. Following those 90 days, states would have a 10-day “right of refusal” period to object to the proposal, according to Turner’s office.
“If a governor does object, then the (HHS) secretary is prohibited from implementing the proposed relocation,” Turner said.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said Turner has been in Congress for nearly 12 years; she charged him with doing “nothing” to relieve or address the nation’s immigration problems.
“Now his answer is to do a knee-jerk political stunt,” Whaley said.
Whaley said she believes HHS officials are conferring with the nation’s governors. And if Dayton were to ultimately shelter immigrants, city officials would do the same, she said.
“Of course, if we made a move, we’d be working with the state, just as we always do,” Whaley said.
Rob Nichols, a spokesman for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, said the governor’s “policy people” are examining Turner’s proposal. But he also said “there absolutely has to be more information coming from Washington to the states or we can’t prepare for this.”
He said Kasich's office found out only this week that the federal govenrment has placed 360 unaccompanied immigrant children with "sponsors" in Ohio. HHS has said most of those sponsors are relatives of the children, but the department has not told either the Dayton Daily News or Kasich's office where in Ohio those children are.
“Is there need for greater communication between the feds and the states?” Nichols said. “You better believe it.”
Late Monday, Dayton leaders suggested to the Federal Emergency Management Agency two buildings as possible temporary shelters for illegal immigrant children. They are the vacant U.S. Navy Reserve training facility in the 400 block of Gettysburg Avenue just north of Third Street, and the former Heidelberg Distributing facility at 931 Deeds Ave.
Dayton City Manager Tim Riordan said FEMA and HHS officials have assured him that the federal government would pay for the operation, security and furnishings of the center.
Riordan said Tuesday that before any decision would be made to send children to Dayton, federal officials will tour the sites and work with community leaders on the proposal.
In a phone interview, Turner argued that the experience of local communities who are housing immigrants is instructive. “No one who has any of these sites in their community or region is having the experience that apparently the mayor believes is going to occur here,” he said.
The congressman also argues that most of the immigrants are older. “They are not all children” he said.
Pew Research Center, in data released last week, said that while children 12 and under are the fastest growing group of unaccompanied minors arriving at the U.S. border, most so far in fiscal year 2014 — 84 percent — are teenagers.
“This (the decision to house immigrants) has broader effects,” Turner said. “This needs broader jurisdiction and authority.”
Turner said he didn’t know what the legislation’s prospects for passage will be.
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