KEVIN CRAMER
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JAMES
Rny DarvE.
OFFTCE
600
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701_7
38_4880
Cor.rcRESS
oF
THE
UNtrEo
Sreres
HousE
or
REpRESENTATTvES
WasHtNGroN.
DC
zo5tE
December
31,2015
Dear
Director
Carey,
It
has
been
brought
to
my
attention the Department
of
Defense
(DOD)
received
a
formal
request
fbr
assistance
from
the Department
of Health
and
Human
Services
(HHS) to provide
temporaryhousing
for
unaccompanied alien
minors.
On December 30, 2015, the
DOD
informed my
office
that the Grand Forks
Air
Force
Base,
located
within
my district, is
one
of
six
DOD
facilities
undff
consideration
by
HHS
as
a
potential temporary
shelter
for
up
to
5,000 unaccompaniedminors.
I
strongly
oppose
the housing
of
illegal
immigrants
at any
military
installation
and request
HHS
remove the Grand Forks
Air
Force
Base
from
consideration
as
a
temporary
shelter
for
unaccompanied
minors.
At
a
time
when our
nation
faces serious
security
threats
both
at
home
and abroad,
the
full
resources
of
the
United
States
military
should be directed toward the
constitutional responsibility of
defending the
country,
not
the
housing
of
iilegal
immigrants.
On
August 1,2014,
a
majority
of
Members
in
the House
of
Representatives passed
H.R.
5230,
legislation which
expressed
Congressional
opposition to
the
placement
and
housing
of
unaccompanied
minors
at
U.S.
military
installations
while
offering
solutions to modernizeprocessing
policy.
H.R.
5230
also
appropriated
additional
resources
to the Department
of
Homeland
Security, along
with
HHS, to
ensure
unaccompanied
minors would
not
have
to
behoused at
our
bases
or other
DOD
facilities.
Funding sufficient
to meet anticipated
needs has
also been
provided
in
the
FY16
omnibus dedicated
to
caring
fbr
and
transporting
unaccompaniedalien
children
and
family
units.
I
urge
HHS to
not
only honor
Congressional
legislative
intent
by
prohibiting
the
use
of
U.S.
military
installations
as
temporary housing
for
unaccompanied minors,
but
encourage
the Obama
administration to work
with
Congress
to
find
solutions
which
humanely reunite
these
children
with family in
their
home countries
as
soon
as
practical.Sincerely,
-4
-- l-./
fub
evin
Cramer
Member of
Congress
CRAM ER.
H O
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