Gov tells FOX 25 feds want Mass. to shelter unaccompanied kids - Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Governor Deval Patrick broke the news to FOX 25's Sharman Sacchetti that the Obama administration has asked Massachusetts to consider sheltering some of the unaccompanied minors who have crossed the southern border. It's still unclear just how many, and we haven't been given a timetable.

The governor told Sacchetti that "we've been asked by the administration to consider that and we're trying to work through that now."

Patrick added, the state is "trying to sort out what our capacities are, what the circumstances would be in case of unaccompanied minors at the border. It would be in some sort of secure facility. It's not about bringing them into neighborhoods."

This news only came out after Sacchetti asked Patrick about it. So when and if it happens, will the residents of Massachusetts be told?

The Federal Government didn't tell Patrick about immigrant detainees being flown into Hanscom and Logan last month.

Now it wants the state to help house unaccompanied minors. Will we know when they arrive?

"When we have information about that and we have a decision about that we will tell the public," Patrick told Sacchetti.

To be clear, the governor is talking about three different groups: the unaccompanied minors crossing the southern border, detainees on board the ICE flights being flown to Mass. and elsewhere across the country, and immigrants crossing the border who stay with family members in cities like Lynn.

The Lynn mayor is telling us that the influx of immigrant children is straining city services.

When asked about that, Patrick said, "Well first of all, for children who are reunited with their parents it's just as if your cousin moved here from out of town. We absorb them in the community and most of the funding sources that the state supplies to cities and towns take account of those individuals although admittedly after the fact, meaning after they're accounted and after the budget is done. If they need some help through a supplemental budget I'm sure we're open to that."

Patrick said he doesn't think "we in our Commonwealth would say that we can't respond to a humanitarian crisis. There are obviously limits to what we can do and we're trying to sort that out right now."

This comes on the heels of reports that the state of Connecticut has rejected the federal government's request to house 2000 immigrant children from Central America.

When Sacchetti asked if they would be coming here, the governor responded, "we have been asked by the administration as I said a second ago, to consider whether we can shelter some number of unaccompanied minors. And we're trying to sort out what that number is."

FOX 25 reached out to the Federal Government and received a statement from the General Services Administration that said it's working with the department of defense to find places to house the children.

"While only a few facilities will ultimately be selected, a wide range of facilities are being identified and evaluated to determine if they may feasibly provide temporary shelter space for children. Facilities that have been identified for further consideration as viable options will be announced as they are selected," the statement read.

What that statement doesn't say is anything about a time frame, or how many of the immigrants could be coming to Massachusetts.

The governor's office says the Federal Government will pick up the tab, which still means taxpayers. In 2005, more than 100 evacuees arrived at Otis Air National Guard Base in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. They were temporarily housed at Camp Edwards until more permanent housing could be found.