[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14190-14191]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF THE UNACCOMPANIED ALIEN CHILDREN TRANSPARENCY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LOU BARLETTA

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 8, 2014

  Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing legislation to 
empower governors and local elected officials to control whether or not 
the federal government can place unaccompanied minors, who have 
illegally entered the country, into their communities.
  For the last several months, the United States' southern border with 
Mexico has been flooded by illegal immigrants, many of them whom are 
unaccompanied minors.
  Throughout my time in Congress, I have been a leading voice in 
arguing for securing our borders. I have also opposed amnesty for 
illegal immigrants who are already here. And I have fought for a 
biometric exit system to make sure that we know exactly who has entered 
the United States on a visa, and who has not returned home as they were 
supposed to.
  More than 60 thousand so-called ``unaccompanied minors'' have arrived 
at our southern border, mostly from the Central American countries of 
El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. This is a 10-fold increase in 
unaccompanied minors crossing the border since 2011. We have heard a 
lot of excuses for why they have come here in violation of our 
immigration laws. We have been told that they are fleeing violence in 
their home countries, but there has not been any substantial increase 
in violence there. So it must be something else.
  What has changed is that the Obama administration implemented its 
DACA policy--Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals--in 2012. This 
policy tells people that, so long as they make it to this country 
safely, they won't be asked to leave. The president has put out the 
welcome mat for residents of other countries, and told them that our 
immigration laws will not be enforced.
  I went down to the border, near McAllen, Texas, and saw the situation 
with my own eyes. Some of the individual cases I heard were 
heartbreaking.
  But when I talked to the Border Patrol agents, they told me a 
different story. Many of the ``unaccompanied minors'' are in fact 
arriving with members of their families, or they are seeking to meet up 
with members of their families who are already here illegally. In 
addition, over three-fourths of them are males, between the ages of 14 
and 17. And many of them are affiliated with violent, criminal gangs, 
or are being recruited for gang membership right there at the border.
  And many of them carry communicable diseases.
  And, the administration has begun to transport thousands of these 
illegal immigrants to communities all across the country.

[[Page 14191]]

  That's where the problems in our own backyard begin.
  Just a couple of months ago, I learned from city officials in 
Hazleton, my hometown, that they had been contacted by a non-profit 
group, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, about housing 
some of the minors at a location right across the street from my 
district office.
  That's how I found out--because the organization had called the city. 
The federal government didn't tell anyone about the plan: not the 
Governor, not the Department of Public Welfare, not Luzerne County.
  When I made the information public, residents of Hazleton rightly 
expressed their concerns, and the plan was dropped.
  But we learned an important lesson in that episode: the federal 
government is working with organizations across the country to place 
unaccompanied minors in various communities . . . without telling 
anyone in the state or locality that they are doing so.
  As of July 31st, we know that at least 456 unaccompanied minor 
illegal immigrants have been released to sponsors in Pennsylvania. The 
shelters and facilities--according to the best information available 
right now--are in Mechanicsburg, Womelsdorf, Bethlehem, Montgomery 
County, and Philadelphia.
  There could be others, and there could be plans--right now--being 
made to house more . . . all without telling state or local 
governments.
  This must stop.
  So today I am introducing legislation that will give state and local 
governments a heads-up when such plans are in the works.
  My ``Unaccompanied Alien Children Transparency Act'' is very 
straightforward.
  It truly will empower states--governors of states--and local 
governments by providing them with all of the information they need to 
make an informed decision about relocation plans, and giving them an 
opportunity to either approve or reject those plans.
  First, it will require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
also known as HHS, to provide detailed information regarding the 
pending relocation of unaccompanied minors. The Secretary will have to 
inform state and local elected officials of the locations and durations 
of any housing contracts awarded, and also provide an assessment of the 
costs associated with and potential impact on education, health, and 
public safety. The Secretary must also certify to state and local 
officials that the unaccompanied minors have undergone health 
screenings, including vaccinations, and that they pose no public health 
threat. Additionally, the Secretary must certify that the unaccompanied 
minors and the individuals who will take custody of them have undergone 
background checks and pose no public safety threat.
  Not only should states and localities know about these relocation 
plans, they ought to know what impact the unaccompanied minors will 
have on the community. Who exactly are they, and what kind of 
background screenings have been done? If they will be educated locally 
in public schools, how much is that going to cost? These are important 
questions that any community would ask.
  The legislation will also require HHS to provide a 30-day notice and 
comment period for states and localities to review any proposed 
contract and accompanying certifications of health and public safety 
background checks. At the conclusion of the 30-day comment period, HHS 
will have to hold a public hearing within 10 days and provide a 
representative to address community concerns or questions.
  At the end of the initial comment period, the governor of the state 
in question must decide whether to affirm the contract within seven 
days. If the governor does not affirm the contract, it is effectively 
vetoed. If the governor does affirm the contract, then the county 
commissioners for that jurisdiction will have seven additional days in 
which to object to the contract. If a majority of the county 
commissioners do not affirm the contract, then it is again effectively 
vetoed.
  The people in my home city of Hazleton found out about the plans to 
bring unaccompanied minors into our community, and they made their 
voices heard. It's only fair that Americans everywhere have the same 
opportunity, through their elected officials at the local and state 
level.
  Last week I held a press conference in Hazleton to announce my 
intention to introduce this legislation, and I was joined by our Chief 
of Police, Frank DeAndrea, and the Superintendent of Hazleton Area 
Public Schools, Dr. Frank Antonelli.
  Dr. Antonelli told me that this school year, four teenagers--part of 
the wave of the so-called ``unaccompanied minors''--came forward to 
enroll in the Hazleton school system. They are all males, ranging in 
age from 14 to 17. Two of them have had no formal education at all in 
their entire lives. Dr. Antonelli is still trying to find out the 
educational background for the other two.
  Take one for an example. He is 17-years-old, has no education 
whatsoever, and speaks not a word of English. How, Mr. Speaker, is a 
local school division expected to deal with this new student? What 
grade does he go into?
  And since we know that there are as many as 14 distinct dialects of 
Spanish spoken in some Central American countries, how exactly are the 
schools expected to communicate with him?
  This is a problem that the federal government has dropped on the 
doorsteps of localities around the country.
  This bill is especially important right now, because we have seen the 
federal government act in secrecy.
  The administration has denied ``right to know'' requests from various 
organizations, and refuses to disclose exactly where the children are 
being transported.
  This is from a president who promised to be transparent.
  Unfortunately, this legislation is necessary to make sure that our 
states and localities know exactly what the federal government is doing 
right in their own backyards.
  Now, I'm a father and grandfather, and I have seen the conditions of 
some of the people who have come to the southern border. I have 
compassion for their situations.
  But I also believe that the responsibility for them should rest 
largely on the countries that they came from.
  This should not be America's problem alone.
  And it certainly shouldn't be the problem of states and localities, 
which are right now being kept in the dark about the movements of 
illegal immigrants.
  Mr. Speaker, the failure of the federal government to do its job in 
enforcing immigration laws should not become a growing burden on the 
folks back home.

                          ____________________