Hoeven Statement on HHS' Announcement It Will Not House Unaccompanied Children from Central America in Grand Forks

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it will not use Grand Forks Airforce Base (GFAFB) as a site to house unaccompanied minors from Central America. Last month, Hoeven spoke with Mary Wakefield, Acting Deputy Secretary for HHS, to express his concern over the Obama administration’s consideration of GFAFB as a site to house unaccompanied children.

“I believe HHS has arrived at a similar conclusion as we did in deciding not to house unaccompanied children so far from the southern border in Grand Forks. It doesn’t make sense to bring them to a northern tier Air Force base like Grand Forks, which is far removed from the southern border. Also, the building facility under consideration would require significant work to meet the requirements. Instead, we should be housing unaccompanied minors at facilities closer to the southern border and working to reunite them with their families in their home countries.”

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