Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday issued a state of emergency along the border relative to the “ongoing surge of individuals unlawfully crossing the Texas-Mexico border …” and suspended several state laws. One of them suspends parts of the State Human Resources Code, “and all other relevant laws,” in order to “direct the Texas Health and Human Services Commission … to take all necessary steps to discontinue state licensing of any child-care facility in this state that shelters or detains unlawful immigrants or other individuals not lawfully present in the United States under a contract with the federal government.”
The order, one of several in the disaster declaration, could deprive thousands of children, some of them mere infants, of shelter and services and thus put their health and lives at risk.
(The U.S. government funds 56 shelters in Texas, out of about 200 licensed shelters in the country. The last census taken on May 19 showed 4,223 children in 52 of those state-licensed shelters, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
The agency was directed to remove the licenses and sent a notice to providers Wednesday telling them to wind down operations by Aug. 30.
After that date, it says, “if you are still providing care for individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States under a contract with the federal government, HHSC will take necessary steps to comply with the proclamation.”)
(The U.S. government funds 56 shelters in Texas, out of about 200 licensed shelters in the country. The last census taken on May 19 showed 4,223 children in 52 of those state-licensed shelters, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
The agency was directed to remove the licenses and sent a notice to providers Wednesday telling them to wind down operations by Aug. 30.
After that date, it says, “if you are still providing care for individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States under a contract with the federal government, HHSC will take necessary steps to comply with the proclamation.”)
To its credit, the state Department of Health and Human Services quickly announced that it would review the governor’s order, but initially did not intend to close any facilities.
If the target specifically is the recent wave of unaccompanied children coming from Central America, those children are the only ones harmed by the order. Those immigrants, however, likely aren’t the only people affected by the order; it is vague enough to apply to other child-care facilities, the majority of which are small, private establishments that aren’t equipped to check the residency status of their clients.
Closing them would punish all families such a center would serve, and could force some parents to leave their jobs because they had no one else to care for their children, or decide to leave those children at home unattended.
Moreover, some shelters were set up to serve abused women and children. Depriving them of such safe havens when their need for protection already exists is unconscionable.
Certainly, a crisis exists on our border. It’s a humanitarian crisis caused by the arrival of immigrants in numbers too great for our homeland security agencies to handle. We also face an economic crisis from continued restrictions on legal border crossings. Such economic constraints reduce the resources that local officials have to combat any crime that does exist, and the reduced economic opportunity could drive some people to seek income by committing the very crimes we’re ostensibly trying to prevent.
If more immigrants are crossing the border, strengthen the border. If crime is increasing — even though such an increase isn’t apparent — go after the criminals. Persecuting defenseless children, who aren’t the cause of our border problems, not only aims at the wrong targets but unnecessarily adds new dangers to those they already face.
Moreover, some shelters were set up to serve abused women and children. Depriving them of such safe havens when their need for protection already exists is unconscionable.
Certainly, a crisis exists on our border. It’s a humanitarian crisis caused by the arrival of immigrants in numbers too great for our homeland security agencies to handle. We also face an economic crisis from continued restrictions on legal border crossings. Such economic constraints reduce the resources that local officials have to combat any crime that does exist, and the reduced economic opportunity could drive some people to seek income by committing the very crimes we’re ostensibly trying to prevent.
If more immigrants are crossing the border, strengthen the border. If crime is increasing — even though such an increase isn’t apparent — go after the criminals. Persecuting defenseless children, who aren’t the cause of our border problems, not only aims at the wrong targets but unnecessarily adds new dangers to those they already face.
9 comments:
Racist republicans using children for political gain self-interest mamones y pinche cocos
Biden created this immigration crisis.
"All Biden had to do was nothing and we wouldn't have this crisis."
the only election that was stolen was the in 2000. it was stolen from al gore.
You are using these innocent children as bait. United States is not a safe havens nor baby-sitting breast feeding country. We as Americans citizens also have to work and provide for our own children, we do not get FREE baby sitting institutions to care for our children. We also do not get free medical services, free education nor free food. The department of Health and Human Services are taking it upon themselves to license these money making entities for personal gain. Filemon vela, Vicente Gonzales and Henry Cuellar are nothing but for personal gain and greed. We the United States lawful citizens were not only effect by the corona virus killing our loved ones and having to stay home and care for our own children, losing lots of our income to survive , but also the increased in activity and crimes by drug cartels. The Cartel are the leaders and the ones profiting off our hardships. Read on how many drugs are coming into United States through our so called protected borders. Read on how present and prior Mexican Governors have been convicted or indicted for protecting the drug Cartels. Who are the corrupt leaders who are profiting off by abandoning these children at the borders? Who are the ones profiting off these injustices? Who is leading these set-up entities and licensing these state licensed shelters ? Who are the ones who are authorizing the licensing of these shelters? I for one applaud our Governor Greg Abbot for standing up to these set-ups corrupt leaders.
The only ones really concerned about shutting down these high dollar baby sitting locations are the ones who operate them! Some of the these owners have become very rich from these poor abandoned children. The other ones are the employees of these places!
Me for one wants these places closed and ship these children back to Mexico' child protection services and let them find their families on their own dime!
Stop the children "NOT THE CARTEL" its more important to the racist republicans to attack the children than the cartel I WONDER WHY? Bud Abbott and Lou Costello are nothing but lapdogs to that pendejo fake hair idiot and draft dogger. And than there are idiots like at:June 4, 2021 at 4:51 PM and June 4, 2021 at 7:58 PM
Pinches idiotas go to church and pray for yourselves, self-interest bitches and pinches cocos.
These children are not wanted. They are on their own. The mothers have boyfriends. The fathers are gone.
The mother and boyfriend do not want to feed these kids.
The world is changing. China doesn't want kids. Japan has no kids.
Greece has no kids. These countries are paying couples to have children.
The USA is also following the same pattern.
June 5, 2021 at 11:30 AM
You must of never been a KID in your life time END THE WORLD DON'T HAVE ANY KIDS sounds like you at:11:30AM ignorant fool
These people are allowed in by Democrats with the expectation that when they become citizens, they will vote Democratic. The Cubans and Venezuelans will not. After a generation of assimilation, these people will vote Republican. The mexican crabs will never learn. Right Juan?
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