Feds continue to deny Arizona officials access to illegal migrant children

bp agent
[Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection]

On Monday, Attorney General Tom Horne was set to visit the warehouse in Nogales which is currently housing hundreds of illegal aliens, however the federal government informed him they would not allow his staff in until background checks were completed.

Congressman Raul Grijalva refused to tour the facility when his entourage was denied access on Monday. He claimed that a tour had been preapproved for himself, and staffers from Rep. Ron Barber’s office. Grijalva was planning to bring along “faith leaders,” but according to Grijalva officials his staff could enter.

Horne said he was reserving judgment on the delay. “I finally had an appointment to go and then they changed it. I just don’t know. I will give it a few more days before I know if they are being reasonable or not.”

Meanwhile in Tucson, the federal government has contracted with Southwest Key to open a 280 bed facility on Oracle road. The facility, due to open June 23rd, will employ a staff of 300 with on-site staff ratio is 6-1, and an off-site ratio of 5-1 according to Southwest Key.

Hiring for this new shelter continued as late as yesterday.

Given the federal government’s apparent delay in clearing the Attorney General’s staff, questions are being raised as to how the new employees of the Southwest Key can be subject to the same background check and scrutiny as Arizona state staff in time for the June 23rd opening.

Prior to this new shelter, the facility was college housing for the University of Arizona.

The facility run by Southwest Key and stationed in Tucson will take illegal immigrant children from the Nogales CBP Placement Center. According to correspondence obtained by the AZDI, the new facility will provide food, shelter, medical care, for approximately 30 days while family members of the minors are located or a safe home willing to except responsibility for the illegal child is found.

The National Border Patrol Council released a statement yesterday which reads in part, “This situation, which started due to violence and dire economic conditions in Central America, has now exploded due to the message being relayed that the immigration laws of the United States are not being enforced. Interviews with detainees reflect this and this situation will continue if there are not consequences for breaking the immigration laws of the United States. We cannot continue to release detainees, even with the goal of deporting them in the future, if we hope to stop the flow of illegal aliens through the Rio Grande Valley. Mandatory detention and deportation is the only consequence that will resolve the problem.”

Horne also commented, “There is no justification for flying hundreds of people from Texas to Arizona. If they have the expense of flying then they could fly them back to Central America. Instead of sending them to the country of origin, which is what they should do, they’ve decided to send them to the state of Arizona, which means someone at the federal government has a bizarre sense of humor.”

By ignoring deterrence policies, which are already on the books, the Obama administration has decided to create an incentive for children, women, and families to enter the U.S. illegally.

To the residents of Arizona, it appears as if all action by the federal government has been to exasperate the problem.

Currently the federal government is moving illegals from the border to Tucson, to shelters, to wherever they want to go. Agents and residents believe that these actions guarantee an increase in illegal immigration from all parts of the world and undermine any chance of meaningful reform.

This is more than just a belief for those who live along the border, who know that currently it is the coyotes and cartels who are in control of the border.

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