GREENSBORO, N.C. — North Carolina democratic and republican members of Congress raised questions Monday about the future of the former American Hebrew Academy.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is leasing it with plans to house hundreds of immigrant children there in the coming years. It's unclear how it'll work and when kids will arrive.
U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning (D-Greensboro) sent a letter to HHS asking questions she said her constituents have raised. The state's Republican delegation sent a letter of their own.
It comes as city and county officials prepare to meet with HHS officials about the plans for the site.
County Commission Chair Skip Alston said he would attend the meeting as well as City Council Member Nancy Hoffman. Hoffman represents district four, where the academy is located.
Signage at the campus recently changed. It no longer displays the American Hebrew Academy name but lists the school's address.
The facility is set to become an influx care facility for unaccompanied children who come into the United States illegally.
HHS will offer schooling, mental and medical services, case management, legal services and recreational opportunities while the children are at the Greensboro facility.
The contract was finalized last month but Hoffmann said the city council has not gotten any updates since it's a private deal. She plans to take a list of questions from neighborhood groups near the facility to the meeting.
"They want to be certain of the security of the campus," Hoffmann said. "They'd like to know what the timetable is. I think they want to know, how long these young people are expected to be there before they are reunited with family members or guardians."
People who live nearby told WFMY News 2's Grace Holland they are keeping an open mind about the facility.
"If it involves mine or children, they're here not due to their own choice so we should try to take good care of them as much as we can," Nat Reed said.
Reed has lived in a neighborhood near the school for 37 years.
Local officials are set to attend the meeting at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.