Miss. could stop accepting legal child refugees
JACKSON, Miss. — Catholic, Methodist and Episcopal leaders are scheduled to meet Thursday morning with Gov. Phil Bryant, asking Mississippi to keep sponsoring a 34-year-old program that resettles children with legal refugee status.
The Bryant administration has told the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services it’s declining to accept any new children into the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor program. Spokeswoman Nicole Webb said recently that Bryant fears President Barack Obama will use the program to send children who immigrated illegally.
“All of a sudden, this program, where we all play by the rules could be commandeered and used to bring in children who are here illegally,” Webb said.
Webb said Mississippi would allow the 27 children now enrolled to remain until they turn 21.
Hattiesburg American
9/3/14
