Keep them or send them back?

CEDAR RAPIDS - Those who cross the U.S. border illegally may be heading north in search of a better life. But in reality, according to Iowa's governor and others, it's just not that simple.

Officials with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirm that at least 159 of the 37,477 unaccompanied Central American minors who have crossed the U.S. border illegally had been placed with sponsors in Iowa during the period from Jan. 1 to July 31.

Federal law requires that children apprehended by U.S. immigration authorities who are not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian be transferred to the care and custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

That office is required to feed, shelter and provide medical care for unaccompanied children until it is able to release them to safe settings with adult family members or other sponsors while they await immigration proceedings.

Gov. Terry Branstad has taken a lead role in opposing the placement of children in U.S. states without notification to his office or any state agencies 'on a real-time basis” so state and local leaders can make 'sound decisions” to ensure the health, safety and well-being of the children and Iowa citizens.

Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds wrote President Barack Obama in July to request details about unaccompanied immigrant children being placed in Iowa, saying the administration's policies were jeopardizing the lives of minors making a dangerous journey from Central America. The governor called it 'outlandish” that media outlets were able to confirm children from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras had settled in Iowa without any official notice to state officials.

'The governor believes the Obama administration ought to be transparent and communicate with the states,” Branstad spokesman Jimmy Centers said. 'Unfortunately more than a month after sending a letter to the president requesting additional information, Iowa, our state departments and our citizens remain in the dark.”

‘No role' for Iowa DHS

Amy Lorentzen McCoy of the Iowa Department of Human Services said federal HHS representatives held a conference call in August in which state officials could ask questions about basic information pertaining to the federal program - but requests for additional information were directed to the U.S. Department of Justice, which oversees immigration court proceedings.

'HHS has not released information about individual children placed in Iowa to the department, but has provided the total number of children now living with sponsors in the state - 159 as of July 31,” McCoy said. 'Iowa DHS continues to have no role in the care, custody or placement of unaccompanied alien children, or notification of any changes in their immigration status.”

Centers said parameters set by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling requires public kindergarten-through-grade-12 schools to educate children who are present for class without asking for background information.

Joe Enriquez Henry, state director of the League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa (LULAC), said the situation remains in limbo for Iowans who have driven to the Mexican border to be reunited with family members and transport them to Iowa because little help is available from non-profits or government agencies.

'They're just staying with friends and families in very small places like trailer parks and so forth,” Henry said. 'They're not able to get the type of housing that is being offered by non-profits or other things the government might be able to provide.

'That won't be happening any time soon.”

Henry said he considers the people crossing the U.S. border illegally to be refugees who, in many cases, gave up everything they had to flee for their safety.

'For many of these families, they're not aware of what's happening politically. It was just clear to them that they needed to leave their country to get somewhere safe,” according to the LULAC leader. 'They have no idea what may transpire down the road. Their only hope is to have a better life in this country.”

Henry said the situation is further complicated when leaders such as Branstad cast them as law violators rather than refugees fleeing dangerous, oppressive situations for freedom.

But Centers responded that, 'Gov. Branstad empathizes with the children who are seeking a better life in America, but he believes we must secure our border first and follow immigration laws already in place. The governor is concerned that the situation at the border, if not handled properly, may encourage others to attempt the very dangerous journey across Central America and Mexico.”

Others - including state Sen. Jack Hatch, D-Des Moines, Branstad's rival in the 2014 governor's race - believe the vulnerable minors do qualify under a 2008 law signed by then-President George W. Bush that grants refuge to children who are victims of human trafficking and violence. They want to see state agencies work with faith-based groups to provide humanitarian aid as part of an Iowa response dating back to former Gov. Robert Ray.

Branstad counters that the current situation with children smuggled into this country illegally is different from the 1970s when Ray led a national effort to resettle refugees from Southeast Asia who were uprooted by war and political upheaval that forced them to immigrate to the United States legally.

Jessica Brackett, project director for a Des Moines-based grass roots effort - 1000KidsforIOWA.com - organized by the Eychaner Foundation to relocate up to 1,000 of the unaccompanied immigrant children to Iowa, said her group has identified 285 Iowa homes for children offering temporary or long-term placement.

Also, about 650 Iowans have signed up to be part of a support system of professionals such as lawyers, social workers, doctors and translators.