Members of the Montgomery County Council made it clear to county staff working on child immigrant issues that they would be accepting of housing unaccompanied minors and asked for more information on how to make sure the county is prepared to house them, if it needs to.
At a briefing Tuesday for members of the County Council, county officials said they are making preparations in case there is a large increase in the number of unaccompanied minors from Central America, who could be placed here by the federal government while their cases are being considered by immigration courts.
Uma Ahluwalia, the director of the Department of Health and Humans Services, said many of these children have experienced “extraordinary trauma” and need mental health services in addition to education, health care, housing, food and immigration services. The children also need social support such as integration into communities as well as cultural education, according to Ahluwalia.
She said that the federal government is searching for service providers to assist in temporarily housing these children and will pay for those services without funds from local governments.
Given the large increase in the number of unaccompanied minors who were being detained at the U.S./Mexico border, county officials said they are expecting to see more kids living in the county, at least temporarily.
The possibility of unaccompanied minors moving into local communities has sparked opposition and protests around the country. But council member George Leventhal said at the briefing that he has heard only from constituents who want to help the children. “You’ll certainly have the support of the council, wherever you need it,” Leventhal told the county officials.
Council member Nancy Navarro, who called for the briefing, addressed the controversy over the issue, saying there was “a lot of conversation about whether we should have a briefing like this or not” because it could “invite attacks.” She added, “We have to do what we can to prepare to respond… but also be very aware as local jurisdictions that this puts a burden, pressure on us.”
A total of 107 unaccompanied minors were enrolled in Montgomery Public Schools last year through the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, according to school officials at the briefing Tuesday. A school representative said the children were placed with family members or guardians who are residents of Montgomery County.
Ahluwalia said the federal government has not yet identified a facility in the county to potentially house unaccompanied minors awaiting immigration rulings, but said federal officials are currently soliciting proposals from around the country to handle the influx of children.
