The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Officials check out claims migrant children being flown into Westchester, bused to Conn.
WESTCHESTER, N.Y. — Little information is available to explain or support claims that migrant children are being flown to Westchester County Airport on Greenwich’s border and then taken to Danbury and Bridgeport.
The governor’s office and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s office said they had no knowledge of the claims in the New York Post’s report.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed in her press briefing on Tuesday that children have passed through Westchester County Airport on their way to be “unified” with a parent or vetted sponsor.
This is happening across the country and is part of the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s process to facilitate travel for children in its custody, she said.
“It’s no surprise that kids can be seen traveling through states, not just New York,” she said. “It’s something that we’re also working to unite children with their family members or vetted sponsors in other parts of the country as well.”
The New York Post reported Monday that an unnamed “source familiar with the operation” at the Westchester airport said the children typically arrive with backpacks and are bused to Bridgeport and Danbury, as well as various locations in New York, such as the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and upstate Newburgh.
Danbury Mayor Joe Cavo said Wednesday his staff has been looking into the claim the past two days. His office had reached out
to state and federal representatives for clarification.
“We’re trying to find out, but I have nothing that says that’s happening at this moment,” he said. “We’re just trying to do our due diligence.”
NBC New York reported that more than 2,000 children have been flown to the White Plains airport, which is located in Rye Brook, N.Y., since June.
Catherine Cioffi, spokeswoman for the Westchester County executive office, said the flights are normal. County government cannot “amend it, stop it or agree to it,” she said.
“The situation at the airport is nothing new,” she
said in a statement. “This is similar to when HHS, under the Trump administration, housed almost 1,000 migrant children in Westchester — without the county’s prior knowledge or approval. Then, as opposed to now, there was no outcry by anyone.”
The federal government has told Westchester County that eligible children are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, Cioffi said. The other children have been tested.
Psaki did not say if any of the children are coming to Connecticut.
“It is our legal responsibility to safely care for unaccompanied children
until they swiftly — can be swiftly unified with a parent or a vetted sponsor,” she said. “And that’s something we take seriously. We have a moral obligation to come to do that and deliver on that.”
The Office of Refugee Resettlement is charged with finding and conducting background checks of sponsors for unaccompanied migrant children. The vast majority of sponsors are a parent or close family member living in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the resettlement office.
“It is our legal responsibility
to safely care for unaccompanied children until they can be swiftly unified with a parent or a vetted sponsor,” an HHS spokesperson said in a statement. “As part of the unification process, ORR facilitates travel for the children in ORR’s care to their sponsors or other care providers in the most expeditious way to quickly and safely unite them with parents and sponsors.
“These modes include air and ground transportation options, taking into account child safety and wellness, travel time, and costeffectiveness. This travel may consist of flights originating from various locations with stops/layovers in different airports. ORR has policies in place to maintain the privacy, security and well-being of minors in our care.”
A spokesman for Blumenthal said his office didn’t know of kids being sent from the Westchester airport to Danbury or Bridgeport.
The governor’s office said the same.
“I have no knowledge of this,” spokesman Max Reiss said in an email.
Earlier this year, the White House considered housing migrant children at the closed Connecticut Juvenile Training School or another temporary facility, but decided against it.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection directed questions to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE and DHS directed questions to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“These are not ICE flights,” ICE spokeswoman Mary Houtmann said in an email.
The Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, a New Haven-based organization, was aware of the reports, but didn’t have more information.
Other groups that support immigrants, including the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants, could not be reached for comment.
Cavo said he has received several calls and emails from community members with questions about the operation.
“We just want to make sure we’re factual, and so I’m trying to get to the bottom of it,” he said.