Del. Tim Hugo (R-Fairfax) and Del. Jackson Miller (R-Prince William) earlier today delivered a letter to Governor McAuliffe demanding information about his administration’s involvement with the housing and care of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children.
The Bull Elephant has obtained a copy of the letter, embedded below, in which the two members of the House GOP leadership team pointedly ask the Governor to explain what role the state has played in bringing unlawful immigrant children to Virginia. The letter was prompted by recent news of a private charity in Prince William county caring for an uncomfirmed number of the recent juvenile migrants from Central America drawn here by incentives put in place by the Obama administration.
Hugo and Miller express particular concerns about the extent to which Virginia taxpayer-funded programs are implicated, including the state’s Medicaid program, which is funded 50/50 by the state and the federal government. Earlier reporting indicated that the children housed at the Prince William-based Youth for Tomorrow (YTF) were receiving medical care through the program. The Bull Elephant has learned that more than half the beds at YTF facilities are now occupied by foreign children placed there by the federal Office of Refugee Relocation.
After speaking with sources close to the matter, the chief concern among these and other legislators appears to be the possibility that state resources are being utilized for this and possibly similar programs without the knowledge of Virginia legislators or taxpayers. For their part, Hugo and Miller take pains to express compassion for the young people involved, while nonetheless insisting on increased transparency.
We will keep you updated as this story unfolds. The lawmakers’ letter is embedded below.
