Three members of the Congressional delegation in Arkansas have opposed the proposal to turn an abandoned factory close to Hot Springs into a shelter for undocumented, unaccompanied immigrant minors. Earlier this month, the US Department of Health and Human Services visited Royal’s former Ouachita Job Corps Center to assess its potential as a secure facility for temporarily housing undocumented immigrant minors under the age of 18.
The tour, on 19 December, resulted in opposition from state Representative, Bruce Westerman and US Senators Tom Cotton and John Boozman. In a statement, they described the proposal as irresponsible, and in opposition to the wishes of Arkansas residents.
The statement noted that the agency could not offer basic details about the shelter’s possible residents, including their countries of origin, nor about the anticipated amount of time the shelter was likely to remain open. It argued that the idea poses an enormous risk to public safety. The statement demanded that the Department of Health and Human Services immediately close down any plans to turn the facility into an immigration shelter.
Garland County Judge, Rick Davis, says that the plans are likely to be strongly opposed by many in the community. He questioned whether there would be real verification of the ages of the immigrants likely to be housed there. Garland says that sheltering young children is unlikely to cause much upset but that it may be a different matter if the immigrants concerned were teenagers or even older.