RALEIGH — North Carolina Congressional Republicans’ request to the Biden administration to allow a migrant facility in Greensboro to be used to help aid Hurricane Helene efforts was granted.
The Greensboro Influx Care Facility (ICF) was deemed operational March 15, but no children have been placed at the facility. HHS entered a nearly $50 million, five-year contract on June 9, 2022, that expires in 2027 with an option to renew.
North Carolina’s Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-09) and Sen. Thom Tillis led a letter making the request, which was sent to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on Oct. 5.
“Based on our understanding of this facility, we think that it could be incredibly useful in supporting the people of western North Carolina as the region recovers from Hurricane Helene,” the lawmakers letter continued. “To the best of our knowledge, GCC has hundreds of beds, as well as extensive facilities for medical care, meals, and education. We believe that this ICF could be repurposed to support the state’s rescue and recovery efforts.”
The letter suggests the site could be used as a staging area for relief and aid workers or even house citizens displaced by the storm.
Sen. Ted Budd and Reps. Chuck Edwards (NC-11), David Rouzer (NC-07), Dan Bishop (NC-08), Virginia Foxx (NC-05), Greg Murphy (NC-03) and Patrick McHenry (NC-10) all signed the letter.
In response to the letter, FEMA issued a press release through a spokeswoman indicating the site would be used for Helene efforts.
“FEMA continues to lead a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to assist communities impacted by Hurricane Helene,” the statement reads. “As part of our effort to ensure that every available resource is mobilized, FEMA will soon sign an agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services to transfer the Greensboro Facility in North Carolina, previously operated by HHS, to FEMA. The Greensboro facility will be another resource to ensure that FEMA has access to a wide array of assets and resources should they be needed for the recovery.”
The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) fact sheet on the ICF has had the same update since the March 15 announcement, which in part says, “No children have been in care at the Center since it became operational in March. It will continue to have no children in care but must be ready to resume operations and accept children eight weeks after being notified by ORR.”
Following the March 15 announcement, Hudson and Tillis also sent a letter to Becerra criticizing HHS for failing to respond to multiple past congressional inquiries for information about the ICF.
“Our offices were notified late afternoon on Friday, March 1, 2024, despite repeated, outstanding requests for answers about plans for operationalizing the facility,” the lawmakers wrote in a March 7 letter to Becerra. “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.”
The ICF is the former American Hebrew Academy (AHA) campus, a sprawling 100-acre property with $26 million in original loans attached to it. North State Journal found the loans have changed hands several times between multiple entities and individuals with ties to China. Two of the companies involved are registered in the British Virgin Islands.
The campus operated from 2001 through 2019 before it closed due to financial issues. There was a brief window in 2020 when AHA rebranded as an “International School” following the $26 million loan from Puxin Ltd., a Chinese company. The rebranded school was supposed to reopen in 2021 but never did.
In December 2023, North State Journal attempted to find out why the facility was still empty but was turned away at the gate by contracted security forces that said no one there would speak with a reporter.
Following North State Journal’s visit to the ICF, nearby residents said there had been activity at the site in summer 2023. One resident provided images of multiple charter buses with blacked-out windows coming and going from the ICF’s side gate.
CAPTION: North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, pictured last month, was among the Republican lawmakers who requested FEMA use the unoccupied Greensboro Influx Care Facility for Hurricane Helene relief. (J. Scott Applewhite / AP Photo)
