Syracuse New York reacts to plans to place immigrant children there:

[hedgehog]

"A spokesman for Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner said the city has not been contacted by federal officials about the housing effort. But Alexander Marion said the city would cooperate.

“We are happy to help children in need if there is something we can do for them,” Marion said. "

http://syracusepoststandard.ny.newsmemory.com/


We are happy to help children in need if there is something we can do for them


Go Syracuse!

Also -

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei said today he supports a federal plan that could end up sending hundreds of immigrant children to Syracuse for temporary housing while they await deportation.

But his Republican opponent, John Katko, says the growing crisis on the southwest border is the result of President Barack Obama's "failed immigration policy" and that
shipping children to Syracuse is not one of the solutions.

Maffei, D-Syracuse, and Katko made their comments after syracuse.com reported that federal officials are exploring the idea of housing children at vacant convents and related buildings owned by the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities at Court Street and Grant Boulevard in Syracuse.

The effort gained an added sense of urgency Tuesday when President Barack Obama asked Congress for $3.7 billion to provide better housing for the children while they are in custody, speed up deportation hearings and improve security along the southwest border.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/07/us_rep_dan_maffei_john_katko_clash_over_immigration_policy_deportation_of_kids.html

[Bortman33]

1. Good on you Syracuse!

[Cha]

2. I thought that would be the case.. thanks hedgehog

[kelliekat44]

3. I wouldn't want to live in a place that did not want to help these children. nt

[Scarsdale]

4. Vatican

Surely the Vatican will be willing to donate a couple of million to help? They seem to have plenty of $$$ considering how they paid for all the sex scandals. Aren't many of the immigrants of the Catholic faith?

[JustAnotherGen]

5. My idea a few weeks ago

We are going to need orphanages of some type - as these are not abandoned children. Their parents are going to want them back - and hopefully this will provide some kind of normalcy for these kids in the interim.

[hedgehog]

6. I don't know about Syracuse, but Buffalo used to have an orphanage

for kids temporarily separated from their parents by poverty and for orphans:

http://www.bakervictoryservices.org/about-bvs/history/

[Inkfreak]

7. My hometown!

The 'Cuse also has also become a home for many of Sudan's Lost Boys.

And a badass basketball team. Go Orange!

[bigwillq]

10. I live in CT, but I am a lifelong Syracuse men's hoop fan!

[kwolf68]

8. Those heathen, Godless Northeast Liberals...

There they go again...

[whistler162]

9. Mayor Miner made a statement

on this plan today.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/07/miner_to_obama_syracuse_welcomes_migrant_children.html

To bad the old Syracuse Developmental Center isn't up to the task. But, the recently vacated convent, the nuns moved to new facilities in the suburbs, will do the job for some refugee kids.

[hedgehog]

11. Someone who is very familiar with the buildings told me that they would need some work

before the kids could use them, but that's not a roadblock. To my knowledge, they'd been used as a retirement/nursing home for the older sisters who are infirm. (Sisters work until they're infirm regardless of age!)

[whistler162]

12. Probably a lot less work than

the old SDC.

[hedgehog]

13. Agreed - it seems that the question here isn't whether Syracuse should provide refuge,

but rather, how best to provide refuge!

Go, Syracuse!