WMUR reports on the question of whether some of the child refugees from violence in Central America could be resettled in NH:
As lawmakers struggle to find a solution to the immigration crisis of children illegally crossing the U.S. border, some New England states have been asked to house some of the children. Officials in New Hampshire said there are no plans to bring any of the children to the Granite State. Gov. Maggie Hassan said she hasn't received a formal request for assistance, and no shelters have been set up.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, four flights have landed in Massachusetts with immigrants on board. Officials said they were all adults. Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas said he's worried that some of the immigrants could end up coming to New Hampshire. "They seem to come in, and no one takes ownership," he said. "No one is helping you pay for them. They're just here."
Being the mayor of a refugee relocation community, with about 1,000 homeless children already, Gatsas said he worries that Manchester could soon be overwhelmed by some of the 90,000 or more children who have recently crossed the U.S./Mexican border.
But Hassan said New Hampshire hasn't received a request to house them yet. "We are part of the country, and we are talking about children here," she said. "We need to think about the safety of children and the safety of our communities and come together. If we were to receive such a request, that's the approach we would take and make a determination accordingly."
ICE said the four flights that have arrived in Massachusetts since April contained single adults. "The majority of detainees on these flights have already been returned to their native countries," ICE said in a written statement. "Almost all of the remaining detainees remain in ICE custody in detention facilities throughout New England." But Gatsas said he's not convinced that will remain the case. "Listening to some of the mayors from Massachusetts, they weren't aware they were coming either, and then all of a sudden, they were delivered to their doorstep," Gatsas said.
Gatsas said he's sending a letter about the issue to New Hampshire Emergency Management. "I think it's important that we stand up and make it well known in the front end that we are not in favor of this," he said. So far, Connecticut and Massachusetts have been asked to house some of the immigrants. Connecticut said no, and Massachusetts is still considering it. New Hampshire Catholic Charities said it doesn't anticipate New Hampshire being called upon to house the children, but it said its willing to help in other ways, such as providing legal aid and getting resources to them.
Let’s be clear, this is not an ‘urgent humanitarian crisis’ it’s an urgent leadership crisis. The question is whether President Obama has asked his good friend Maggie Hassan to house the illegal immigrants he opened our border doors for. You aren’t aware, Governor Hassan? That’s failed leadership. Pick up the phone and be aware. I have a few questions: Have you been asked to accept illegal immigrants as our neighboring state Massachusetts has? If so, what was your answer? If not, have you called to ask anyone and what is the answer?