Westminster No Longer Being Considered for Immigrant Shelter

Days after the federal government was said to be considering a former U.S. Army Reserve complex in Westminster for a shelter to house child immigrants, officials have taken the site off their list of possibilities.

The building at 404 Malcolm Drive, near MD Route 140, was scrapped because it would "not be appropriate" as a shelter for unaccompanied immigrant children since it had been vacant for an extended period of time and was in poor condition, Fox 45 reported.

The federal government is scrambling to find locations for shelters due to the surge of children crossing the Mexican border without adults—90,000 are projected this year, versus 24,000 last year—CBS DC reported. By law, the government has to keep children who are unaccompanied by adults if they come from countries which don't immediately border the U.S., until they can find an adult relative or sponsor where they can be placed.

U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, a Republican whose district includes Carroll and who serves on the House subcommittee overseeing the Department of Health and Human Services budget, said he opposed the facility being put in Carroll County and would "use every tool at my disposal" to block funding to support siting the shelter in Westminster.

The Carroll County Board of Commissioners met in emergency session Friday night to discuss the issue of the shelter, The Baltimore Sun reported.

Commissioner Richard Rothschild said "hell no" to the idea, noting that he and his colleagues learned of the proposal through the media and angry citizens.

"...leaving local communities with the responsibility in the end of dealing with this is inappropriate," Rothschild told WFMD. He added: "Until ... [federal officials] engage us in a responsible manner, the answer isn't no—it's hell no."

Fellow Republican Commissioner Haven Shoemaker said that the community would not be prepared for such development.

"Given the unknowns at play here—in terms of illness and connection to gang activity and all the sort of things that could have been involved—it's certainly for the better that this not be located in Westminster," Shoemaker told the Carroll County Times.

In a statement issued Saturday, Harris said that federal officials made "the right decision" to look elsewhere for the shelter.

"My office was just notified that the site in Carroll County won't be used by HHS to house unaccompanied minors who have entered our nation illegally. This is the right decision. Flying them to MD to only turn around and send them back home makes no sense. I'm glad to see that HHS listened to my objections and those of so many local officials," Harris said.

Related: Unaccompanied Immigrant Children Could be Headed for Westminster