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Pfluger Fly-By

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Congressman Pfluger Demands Answers for Illegal Immigrant Facility in Midland

Washington, DC, March 18, 2021

Today, Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) sent a letter to HHS Acting Secretary Norris Cochran and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas expressing his frustration over the decision of the Department of Health and Human Services to establish an Emergency Intake Site for Unaccompanied Alien Children (UC) apprehended at the southern border at the Cotton Logistics site in Midland, Texas.

“HHS failed to notify, consult, or coordinate with my office or any of our state and local officials. I am deeply troubled that our sheriff, mayor, police, and fire departments were completely blindsided,” Congressman Pfluger said in the letter. “We had no time to prepare and no opportunity to provide input and advice. Urgent questions including how long they will be there, if more are on the way and implications on the spread of coronavirus were not available.”

In the letter, Congressman Pfluger asked for an expedient response to ten questions:

  1. When was the decision made to utilize Cotton Logistics and why state and local stakeholders not notified or coordinated with in the decision-making process?
  2. What was the data and analysis used to determine Cotton Logistics and Midland as a suitable site and who made the final determination?
  3. Why were 700 UCs selected to be transferred to the site in Midland?
  4. What are the age breakdowns of the migrant children and known criminal or behavioral background of the children? How is this information verified either by the Department of Homeland Security or HHS?
  5. Are more UCs slated to be transferred now or in the future to the site in Midland?
  6. How long will Cotton Logistics be utilized by HHS to house the migrant children?
  7. What are the COVID-19 safety protocols in place to ensure safety of the migrant children, facility staff and security, and the surrounding community?
  8. Are the migrant children tested prior to arrival and periodically while at the facility?
  9. Are the agreements in place with local hospitals or clinics should the need arise to respond to medical emergencies at the facility COVID-19 related or not?
  10. What is the process and timeline for placing the migrant children with known relatives or foster homes? What if no suitable home is found?

Full text of the letter is available here.