RALEIGH — Members of North Carolina’s Congressional delegation, led by U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson and Sen. Thom Tillis, want answers from the Biden administration about the operational status of a facility in Greensboro intended to house migrant children.
In a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, the lawmakers demanded more transparency on the Greensboro Influx Care Facility (ICF).
“Our offices were notified late afternoon on Friday, March 1, 2024, despite repeated, outstanding requests for answers about plans for operationalizing the facility,” wrote the lawmakers. “We are frustrated by this sudden announcement and the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) lack of transparency to Congress and the State of North Carolina related to this issue.”
Up until the March 1 announcement the site would become operational, fact sheets issued by HHS’s Administration for Children and Families Office of Refugee Resettlement called the Greensboro ICF a “future site.”
The letter described multiple requests for information that had either been delayed or remained unfulfilled, and it highlighted concerns that DHS was in the process of changing a contract involving the ICF while announcing the facility would be operational.
“This delay and lack of transparency have left us with continued concerns about whether the facility is fit for operation,” wrote the lawmakers. “For example, your office has announced its plans to issue a draft Request for Proposal (RFP) on March 7, 2024, for the primary services contract for the Greensboro ICF, with a final RFP expected in April 2024.”
The letter added, “We are very concerned to learn that you have decided to operationalize the Greensboro ICF while in the process of potentially changing who currently contracts for services at the facility.”
The letter was also signed by Republican congressional members Sen. Ted Budd and Reps. David Rouzer, Dan Bishop, Virginia Foxx, Greg Murphy and Patrick McHenry.
HHS signed a five-year, nearly $50 million contract with an effective start date of June 2022, yet only security personnel have been seen on the property as the contract approaches turning two years old.
Since the signing of the contract, the loan documents for the former American Hebrew Campus (AHA), now designated as the Greensboro ICF, in early 2023.
Real estate records show the $26 million loan documents for the AHA campus were assigned from Puxin Ltd. to Metabroad International Group, LLC and Heyi Holdings L.P. All three companies appear to have some ties to China, with Puxin’s CFO Peng Wang executing his side of the loan documentation at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China.
Tillis and Budd have also recently introduced a pair of bills intended to “crack down on sanctuary cities and incentivize deportation for criminal illegal aliens,” per a press release.
The Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act enables victims of violent crimes such as rape and murder committed by illegal migrants to pursue legal action against sanctuary cities or states that neglect to honor detainer requests while also restricting specific federal grants to sanctuary jurisdictions.
The Immigration Detainer Enforcement Act aims to clarify the authority of DHS regarding detainers and affirm the ability of states and localities to uphold custody when a detainer is issued. The bill also includes reimbursements for certain detention, technology and litigation-related expenses in order to spur better coordination between DHS and law enforcement agencies.
“For too long, we have watched local jurisdictions in North Carolina and across the country ignore the lawful notification and detainer requests made by ICE agents, instead releasing dangerous criminals back into the communities and putting innocent lives at risk,” Tillis said in a statement. “It is clear President Biden and liberal politicians want to prioritize reckless sanctuary policies over public safety.
“It is time for Congress to step in and put an end to this madness by holding sanctuary cities accountable and empowering ICE to gain custody of criminal illegal immigrants so they can’t cause more harm and violence.”
“This is a matter of public safety and the rule of law,” Budd said. “At a time when the Biden administration refuses to crack down on sanctuary cities, Congress has the responsibility to act. It’s long past time that cities who refuse to enforce our immigration laws face legal consequences. When laws are not enforced, completely preventable tragedies occur. That has to stop.”
Budd thanked Tillis for heading up the effort and added that the bills “will put lawless cities on notice and will incentivize them to enforce our laws and keep our streets safe.”
