By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Friday, July 15, the Obama Administration announced that they have made the decision not to use military bases in Alabama to house illegal alien teens and children, who are detained at the US border. Several members of the Alabama Congressional delegation had fought the move to turn military bases in the State, into illegal aliens detention facilities.
US Representative Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) said in a statement, “It’s not going to happen: No detained immigrant minors will be sent to Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery or any other Alabama military installation, I confirmed today.”
US Senator Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) said in a statement, “Last week, Senator Jeff Sessions and I sent a letter to the Obama Administration urging them to halt consideration of housing illegal immigrant juveniles in Baldwin County. I am pleased that after more than a month of speculation, the Administration has decided not to house these illegal aliens at two outlying airfields at Naval Air Station Whiting Field.”
US Representative Bradley Byrne said on social media, “Proud of our total team effort to block this terrible proposal. My office worked with Senators Shelby and Sessions, members of the Baldwin County Commission, Baldwin County Sheriff, Hoss Mack, other local elected officials and the entire Alabama Congressional delegation to defeat this proposal.”
Congresswoman Roby said, “I previously had “unofficial” assurance that Maxwell-Gunter would not be used to house the detainees, but the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provided official notice today that the base was removed from consideration. This is great news. Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base is no place to house hundreds of illegal immigrant minors. The serious and sensitive missions at Maxwell-Gunter did not need to be disturbed by the housing and securing of hundreds of detainees. Also, the Gunter location they were considering didn’t make logistical sense. This is the case I have made to the Secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security and HHS since learning of this proposal, and I’m glad they listened.”
Sen. Shelby said, “For months my message to the Obama Administration has been clear: Alabama’s military installations are not appropriate places to house illegal aliens.”
Rep. Roby continued, “I appreciate the support and partnership of my colleagues in Alabama Congressional Delegation who worked alongside me against this ill-advised proposal. We shut it down the first time and I’m glad we were able to shut it down again.”
Congressman Byrne was quick to spread the news. Byrne said, “I wanted to make sure everyone saw the news about the Obama Administration dropping their plan to house illegal migrant children in Baldwin County. Our pressure paid off!
Rep. Roby concluded, “I’ll say this, though: the problem at the border would continue so long as lax enforcement and broken policies invite more people to illegally cross the border. We have to secure the border, first and foremost. We also need to have immigration policies that put America’s economic interests first and discourage people from entering the country illegally. Until we get serious about combatting illegal immigration, we will continue to see this problem at the border.”
President Obama has defied Congress, existing immigration law, and even the courts to change America’s deportation and immigration policies. Where once illegal aliens intercepted at the border were turned away. Now the President puts them in detention camps until relatives already in the US or charities that sponsor illegal aliens will come and get them.
Senator Sessions has denounced this policy as only encouraging more illegal aliens to come to this country.
The administration has considered locating a detention center at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery. More recently it has considered using two naval air fields in Baldwin County for this purpose. Both plans have been abandoned for now.
