Perlmutter Statement On Temporary Migrant Shelter At Denver Federal Center

"Since learning of the initial proposed selection of the temporary migrant shelter at the Federal Center, my office has worked to reassure the community and collaborate closely with our federal, state and local partners. After personally visiting the site, it quickly became evident that setting up a facility of this magnitude was going to be a monumental undertaking. While I wish HHS had conducted a thorough assessment before making any public announcements, I'm glad to see they have done appropriate due diligence prior to starting construction. After reviewing the site assessment, HHS realized the Federal Center would not be the most conducive facility for the children or taxpayers."

"I appreciate the folks in Lakewood and Colorado who really understood the predicament and unfortunate circumstances these children are in. I want to thank the numerous people that called my office to offer their time and resources to help these children and for the support from the Lakewood community. I will continue to monitor the issue closely in the coming months as well as work with federal agencies to help address the flow of children making the dangerous journey to the U.S."

Since learning of the initial site assessment at the Federal Center on December 22, 2015, Rep. Perlmutter's office worked to understand the situation and everything involved in setting up this type of temporary shelter. This included meeting with representatives from Health and Human Services (HHS), General Services Administration (GSA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State Department to better understand the reason children are migrating to the U.S. and the process they go through once they cross the U.S. border. Rep. Perlmutter also toured the potential facility on December 30, 2015, as well as met with immigration attorneys and other stakeholders to learn about past legislation and legal cases that are in place to ensure these children are granted appropriate legal rights. In addition, Rep. Perlmutter held a live telephone town hall on January 19, 2016 with representatives from HHS, GSA and DHS to help inform Lakewood residents and their answer questions about the proposed facility.