Casey Blake

cblake@citizen-times.com

ASHEVILLE – From open arms to barbed-wire fences, states nationwide have given a wide range of responses to the influx of unaccompanied immigrant children fleeing Central America for safety in the U.S.

The issue could well play out in North Carolina next, with the state already a leader in finding homes for the children and Gov. Pat McCrory raising questions this week over whether welcoming them could turn burdensome.

McCrory criticized federal officials for a lack of detail about the roughly 1,200 unaccompanied children who were relocated with sponsors in North Carolina in the first half of the year through early July.

The number was far outpacing last year’s totals and threatens to impact care for state residents who depend on social services, he said.

Only five other states — Texas, Florida, California, Virginia and New York — have found sponsors for more of the displaced children than North Carolina, according to data from the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Child immigrant advocates on Wednesday called the governor’s criticisms more political dog whistle on a hot-button election issue than worry over a burden for services.

“These 1,200 children break down to 12 kids per county in North Carolina,” said Dani Moore, director of Immigrants Rights with the NC Justice Center. “To say we cannot accommodate this number of endangered children is just ridiculous.”

Federal authorities have said how many children have been placed in the states, but have given no more specific information, leaving local officials in the dark on how and where to prepare for an increase in demand for services.

But child advocates say stances taken by states on handling child refugees has been more philosophical than logistical.

“It doesn’t matter where children are from,” said Natalie Teague, an immigration law attorney in Asheville “Under state, federal and international laws, we are obligated to care for them and they are entitled to due process.”

Logistically, Teague said, the immigration court process will take some time to sort out the children already in the state.

The Charlotte-based court, which serves the entire state, has a backlog of at least 250 days, she said.

“It’s not as if there will be one day when all of a sudden thousands of children will be eligible for social services,” she said. “But it will be challenging.”

Teague said there were an average of 6,800 unaccompanied immigrant children coming into the United States from 2006-10. This year that number will look more like 90,000.

“That’s significant,” she said. “But the burden will likely fall more to social organizations and nonprofits than it will to social services.”

Teague said based on the cases she’s seen presented, many of the children will qualify for permanent residence under humanitarian laws.

Health records a concern

The issue has spilled into gubernatorial campaigns in states where some children have been kept at emergency shelters until they connect with their sponsor.

No such holding centers have been located in North Carolina. Children already in the state have generally been placed with relatives or sponsors.

McCrory said Tuesday that health status and immunization records of the children also are needed for their treatment in emergency rooms and to protect other citizens from communicable diseases.

Potential sponsors are supposed to undergo background checks before taking charge of the children. McCrory has questioned how scrutinized the sponsors were and worried whether some children may be placed in abusive situations.

“I feel very strongly that these children could be put in more harm’s way than the conditions in which they came from,” he said.

Though advocates who have worked with children in Central America say that is unlikely.

Teague said the severity of trauma most of the children coming to North Carolina have suffered is “unimaginable.”

In one case, a 12-year-old boy fled his home after witnessing his 15-year-old brother being shot in the bed where they were both sleeping after he refused to join a gang, she said.

“These cases are extreme,” Teague said.

Immigrant children would not be entitled to traditional social services like food stamps or foster services offered at the state or level. They could, however, be entitled to the public education, and some emergency medical services under Medicaid.

“We really aren’t preparing for much at this point, because in reality these children wouldn’t really qualify for public assistance,” said Phillip Hardin, economic services director for Buncombe County.

“If they are undocumented, they aren’t eligible, other than those emergency medical services, which falls under Medicaid,” he said. “We haven’t been given any more information than what we read in the paper.”

Local schools

Hardin said there were roughly 800,000 people in the state receiving food assistance. There are currently no applications for emergency medical services in Buncombe County, officials said Wednesday.

Under federal law, all children are entitled to a free public education, regardless of their immigration status.

Public schools in states such as Florida, Texas and Georgia know the unaccompanied minors are already in their states, mainly from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

What they don’t know is how many will end up enrolling in their schools.

“As of now we don’t have any indication of a large influx of immigrant students,” said Buncombe County Schools spokesman Jason Rhodes.

“Residency or citizenship is not a consideration of enrollment in any public school as mandated by federal and state laws,” Rhodes said, “however, BCS does require proof of residency within the district in order for the student to remain in our schools.”

School districts receive Title III funding under the No Child Left Behind Act for students with limited English proficiency. States can set aside up to 15 percent for districts that experience a “significant increase” in the number of immigrant students.

“I think what we have to keep reminding people, and have to raise awareness for is that these are children — human children,” said Norma Brown, Latino outreach coordinator for Children First/ Communities in Schools of Buncombe County. “This situation is so complex and it’s not clear yet what the outcomes will be, but at this phase we’re just waiting and preparing for families to appear.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

States act

Responses from state and local officials on being asked to help with the nation’s influx of immigrant children fleeing violence in Central America have varied widely. Here’s what happening:

• Texas: Overwhelmed by the arrival of thousands of children, state officials relaxed standards for shelters, easing rules governing how much space each child needs and what kind of facilities they should have. The regulatory changes reduced the number of square feet required for each child and allowed more children to be housed per available toilet, sink and shower.

• New York: The issue has been bitterly divisive in Syracuse, where some people have raised concerns about crime. But Mayor Stephanie Miner said she is helping federal officials examine a former convent that could be used to house some of the children.

• New Jersey: Gov. Chris Christie said he would consider any request from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to house the children in his state.

• Milwaukee: Mayor Tom Barrett held a conference call with local charities and government agencies to help identify locations to house the children.

• Davenport, Iowa: Mayor Bill Gluba has put together a similar team to identify locations to house children.

• Massachusetts: Gov. Deval Patrick said he would consider doing the same.

• Murrieta, Calif., and Oracle, Ariz.: Some have tried to block the buses carrying the immigrants to facilities there.

• Mississippi: Like in N.C., Gov. Phil Bryant criticized the federal government for placing children with sponsors without notifying state officials.

• Vermont: Gov. Peter Shumlin wrote to the the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Monday to say the state lacks the capacity to host a large number of children.

Sources: USA Today and The Associated Press