GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Greensboro Children's Center meant to provide shelter for unaccompanied migrant children is ramping down operations, according to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).
You may remember back in March, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) operationalized the site, saying it was ready to take in children.
Now, however, officials said the center is now ramping down operations to only facility upkeep.
Representative Kathy Manning said that this site will work as an overflow facility, meaning that once similar facilities across the country are full, only then would children be brought to Greensboro.
Greensboro leaders, like Guilford County Commission Chair Skip Alston back that up, “they are looking at this as what they call a ‘warm site’ meaning that if there is any overflow in the other areas, then they will use this site as overflow and not just as a main site,” Alston said.
Greensboro's Mayor Nancy Vaughan said this is very frustrating, "as a community, we've been put in a wait-and-see position for the last two years. The lack of communication from the federal government has led to fearmongering and distrust. To date, it seems like a huge waste of money.”
It’s a statement Commissioner Alston agrees with.
He said that so many times before, local leaders have had to tell the community that they didn't know how to answer a lot of their questions about the facility. He said, it’s information they should know.
“Let me state for the record, I totally agree with the Mayor Vaughan, it has not been handled properly. It has not been an open process, I will say, for us to keep our community updated. We've stated that every time we meet with them [federal representatives] but they have their restraints also, and we have to kind of respect that but not like that,” Commissioner Alston said.
WFMY News 2’s Nixon Norman spoke with a woman who claims to be a former employee at the facility. She worked there for 8 months, she even showed WFMY News 2 her employee badge.
She said during her time employed there, not once did she ever see a child.
“No, we have never received any kids on that compound. Even until today, I still talk to people who work there… (kind of a long pause here) and they’ve been there, some people have been there for a little over two years and never seen a child. Former Facility Employee, Elizabeth Pacheo said.
She said because of the lack of children there and things to do, employees would often repeat tasks and look for things to do.
“I was in laundry for example, we would wash the same laundry every week. We rewashed it and rewashed it and rewashed it, that was the only thing we're doing in there,” Pacheo said.
The ORR runs about 200 similar facilities in 22 states. It leased the Hebrew Academy through 2027.
The Department of Health and Human Services told WFMY News 2 it's their legal obligation to provide for the care of all unaccompanied children referred to The U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement - until they are safely released to a vetted sponsor.
WFMY News 2 has reach out to several federal offices about why this decision was made and more about the future of the facility and those who work there. We are waiting to get those answers.