Alabama citizens, representatives fight Obama’s attempt to house illegals on Alabama military bases

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment brought by Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL1) that would prohibit the Department of Defense from using any money to construct or modify facilities to house unaccompanied alien children (UAC). The amendment comes at a time when the Obama Administration is pushing to house migrant children at Navy airfields in Baldwin County, Ala.

The Department of Defense Appropriations Act, with Byrne’s amendment included, passed the House by a vote of 282 to 138. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.

“I especially hope the passage of my amendment sends a message to the Obama Administration that they should not bring these children to Navy airfields in Baldwin County. Doing so would put the children at risk while also compromising military readiness,” Byrne said in a press release.

The Alabama Congressman spoke to the House about the potential burden that could be placed on the bases in his district in a floor speech last night.

“At a time when we face so many challenges around the globe, it just makes no sense to alter the intended use of our military facilities to serve a completely different purpose,” he said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiFHa2ZvxZI

In addition to the passage of the Amendment, Baldwin County officials and citizens soundly rejected the possibility of housing undocumented minors in a teleconference between the Baldwin County Commission and the federal government.

“I don’t want to be rude but … You’re not welcome,” Baldwin County Commissioner Chris Elliott said during the meering. “We are not interested in having these facilities here.”

Everyday citizens were also making their views known. “I’m fed up with Washington,” said Martha Phillips of Robertsdale, a town close to the Silverhill airfield. “I don’t want them in here.”

In addition to Byrne and Baldwin County officials, many other Alabama politicians have spoken out against the administration’s plan.

“These Department of Defense properties should be used for those men and women working to keep our nation safe – not to house illegal immigrants,” Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) said in a press release. “President Obama’s blatant disregard for our immigration laws has led us to this point, and we must not allow his actions to burden our nation’s military and local communities. I will fight against any attempts to allow those who break our laws to be housed at Alabama’s military facilities, and I urge the Administration to humanely and expeditiously transport these individuals back to their homes.”

Gov. Robert Bentley (R-AL), who was informed of the possibility on Friday, had a similar reaction. “The federal government is once again usurping the authority of Alabama in its effort to relocate unaccompanied minors,” Bentley said. “It is actions like this that led me to file a lawsuit in January against the federal government refugee resettlement program. While I am extremely sympathetic to the needs of unaccompanied minors, as Governor of Alabama, I feel strongly that states should play an active role in the decision making process.”

This is not the first time that an Alabama military base has been considered as a potential shelter for illegal immigrants. Earlier this year, Maxwell Air force Base in Montgomery was also considered for settlement by HHS, but was ultimately not selected.

In response to that revelation, Martha Roby lashed out at HHS and spoke to Yellowhammer about her position. “The Obama administration is at it again, testing the waters for housing illegal immigrant children at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base,” Roby said. “I wanted the Secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services to know that we are paying attention and will fight any attempt to house detainees at Maxwell-Gunter.”

Before that, HHS considered housing illegal immigrant children at the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston, Alabama. Fierce opposition from Roby and Congressman Mike Rogers (R-AL3), among others, deterred HHS from ultimately sending any unaccompanied illegal immigrants to the state in Anniston.

For now, it looks as though Alabama will avoid the issue again. The bill with Byrne’s amendment must now pass in the Senate and be signed into law by President Obama.