Senator Nelson’s Confusion on the Homestead Detention Shelter
Senator Nelson wants to talk about how he has helped unaccompanied illegal immigrant children in Florida.
But he’s confused on the facts…
- According to HHS, Florida Congressional offices were notified about the reopening of the Florida facility for unaccompanied illegal immigrant children in February. Senator Nelson lied about not finding out about the facility until June so he could score political points.
- Senator Nelson was silent regarding the many other shelters for unaccompanied minors that were opened in Florida during the Obama administration.
- Senator Nelson himself voted for legislation that authorized the federal government to shelter unaccompanied immigrant children in federal facilities across the country, including one in Homestead, Florida.
- In 2011, Senator Nelson wrote a letter supporting a proposal for a publicly funded, privately managed immigration detention center in South Florida.
“Senator Nelson’s confusion has reached an all-time high – he is trying to lay blame on others for the unaccompanied minors in Homestead, but he’s forgetting that he was the one who VOTED to make this happen. When it comes to helping immigrant children, Bill Nelson has spent 40 years doing nothing but make our immigration system worse. Does he really need another 40 years to work on it? – Lauren Schenone, Scott for Florida Press Secretary
BACKGROUND
Governor Scott was clear that he completely opposed the Trump administration’s policy of separating children from their parents, and he took action to offer state resources to the federal government to help quickly reunite children with their families.
Below is an excerpt from an op-ed written by Governor Scott on this topic:
…. “It’s also time for the folks in Washington to stop talking about “comprehensive” immigration reform. Washington struggles to do anything right, let alone to do something comprehensively right. Whenever they talk about a “comprehensive” anything in Washington, one thing you know for certain — nothing will get done.
“There is no doubt that there are many other immigration reforms that should be considered. Congress should look at all those issues, but they should stop the fanciful notion of doing everything at once. Congress has to stop trying to get the grand bargain done, since baby steps are about all we can ask or expect from this Congress. And Congress must take care of the dreamers and secure the border.” – Governor Rick Scott
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