Mississippi officials BLOCK plans to let 250 unaccompanied migrant children live in former casino hotels
Mississippi government officials have refused to support plans to house up to 250 unaccompanied migrant children at two former casino hotels.
The Tunica County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 Thursday against issuing a letter in favor of the proposal.
This followed months of opposition from local officials and Sheriff KC Hamp, who oversees the county of just under 10,000 residents.
Hamp believes the province lacks resources to care for migrants, including health care facilities, meaning responsibility would spill over to neighboring communities.
‘Patients should be taken to hospitals in DeSoto, Tate, Coahoma County, along with area hospitals in Memphis, Tennessee‘, Hamp said WREG. He also expressed concern about the creation of a language barrier.
Mississippi officials have declined to support plans to house unaccompanied migrant children at two former casino hotels in Tunica County (Photo: Colleagues watch as immigration officials raid Koch Foods Inc. plant in Morton, August 2019)
The two vacant hotels were previously part of the Harrah’s casino complex, which closed in 2014 after years of decline
The vacant hotels are designated through contracts from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and its partner agencies. They were previously part of the Harrah’s casino complex, which closed in 2014.
Ever with the largest casino floor in between New Jersey And VegasHarrah’s was hit hard by the Great Recession and saw a sharp drop in traffic before job losses.
These challenges only increased when rival casinos emerged in neighboring countries.
Southland Park Gaming and Racing in West Memphis, Arkansas, managed to lure many of Tunica’s former customers before the casino officially went under.
Previous plans to use the property did not materialize, including a proposal to equip it with a 200-space RV park, a golf course and a water park.
During Thursday’s meeting, attorney Shantrell Nicks clarified that the facility would house up to 250 children ages 17 and younger, instead of the 2,000 previously discussed.
The Tunica County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 against issuing a letter in favor of the proposal, which would place up to 250 children 17 and younger in two hotels.
The site would be in operation for five years and would not allow visitors, according to a lawyer for the company that wants to take it over (photo: the Veranda hotel, one of two hotels included in the plan)
The development came after months of stubborn resistance from local leaders who expressed concerns about costs and insufficient resources
Nicks works for Rapid Development, the company that wants to use the hotels.
“There is no pressure on the local government as a result of this temporary childcare centre,” she said, adding that it would only operate for five years. “We’re not going to try to enroll these kids in local schools.”
State officials, however, adamantly resisted. Some, like Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, wrote letters to the Department of Health and Human Services to express their concerns.
Hyde-Smith highlighted the costs that would be passed on to local and state governments if a liaison for the site were awarded.
A Border Patrol agent gives water to a group of unaccompanied minors after they were apprehended near the highway outside Eagle Pass, Texas, on February 4, 2024
Secretary of State Michael Watson praised her efforts and vowed to follow suit.
“Well, these are kids,” he said WBLT. ‘I would love them too. And that is our job. That is what I am called to do as a Christian.
‘That is not the job of the government. We cannot force the government to do something that individuals might choose to do.”
Senator Roger Wicker also promised to send his own letter. “Many of my constituents had expressed concerns about the impact of this project on the community,” he said in a statement Friday.
“It was clear that health care, transportation and other services in Tunica County were not prepared for this sudden influx. “I’m glad this decision has been put on hold for the time being, but I still have concerns about a similar proposal in the future.”
