North Carolina

Biden plan to move migrant teenagers into North Carolina boarding school ‘alarming’

Published

1 year ago

July 2, 2023

Biden plan to move migrant teenagers into North Carolina boarding school ‘alarming’

North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Walker expressed serious concerns over the Biden administration’s handling of unaccompanied minors at the southern border in light of a new operation to fly thousands of teenagers into his hometown.

The former Greensboro, North Carolina, congressman and Republican Study Committee chairman told the Washington Examiner on Friday that his fears stretched from the public safety of the residential community to the lack of information being shared by the government.

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Walker is also worried about the Biden administration’s growing reliance on these types of temporary emergency facilities, particularly given that this one would sit on a 100-acre American Hebrew Academy boarding school campus that the government would turn into a global “academy” for students on site despite its only holding children an average of 29 days.

“When you bring in 800 mostly older teenagers, mostly young, single males … I think anybody would be rightfully concerned about this, especially when you start saying, ‘Well, it’s not just going to be a temporary — we’re going to call this an academy.’ That’s alarming to people,” said Walker. “They said they were going to keep them on the property and they can’t get out. How do you do that?”

Screenshot: Google Maps

The 800 minors brought in starting in August would be discharged from the academy to adult sponsors around the country and their beds filled with others who had just come over the border. Walker said the lack of knowledge the community has about who is entering the community was alarming despite the government’s vetting policies at the border.

In several cases recently, males who crossed the border illegally and identified as minors were released into the United States only to be arrested for murder. Federal agency U.S. Customs and Border Protection has not yet explained why employees released people who were actually adults, as in the case of the person who killed a Florida man, or known members of international gangs to the Department of Health and Human Services, as in the murder case of Kayla Hamilton in Maryland.

Residents across the street from the campus have not yet been told of plans to move in buses of minors flown in from the border in the coming weeks, Walker said.

“It’s been very concerning about how secretive this has been from [HHS] because this has been going on for over a year and it’s been very difficult to get any information,” Walker said.

HHS has been secretive about renaming the American Hebrew Academy site the “Greensboro Piedmont Academy” if it is in fact a temporary influx housing site. The federal contractor that was paid millions to operate it has stood up a “Greensboro Global Academy” and website to recruit teachers from the community to apply for jobs.

The government’s adding more housing for minors goes against the reality that the number of children crossing the border has dropped since April. These emergency care sites were initially thrown up as a high volume of children crossed in 2021 and 2022, but those numbers have dropped from 10,000 children in custody at a time to 6,000 as of Thursday.

Children who come across the border illegally after being smuggled by cartels are taken into custody by the Border Patrol and then transferred to HHS’s Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Refugee Resettlement.

HHS’s use of the “academy” is problematic because it is not licensed by the state to hold children in this type of situation. A leading organization that helps migrant children who come over the border said the practice of going around the rules that facilities be licensed must end.

“While it is valuable to expand infrastructure to care for unaccompanied children, the administration’s focus should be on licensed facilities and providers that adhere to stringent child welfare practices,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. “Recent history suggests that it is virtually impossible to ensure their safety and well-being through reliance on large-scale influx centers operated by entities with little to no child welfare experience.”

In 2021, the Washington Examiner reported the Biden administration’s plans to use the Greensboro boarding school to house children. When questioned by House Republicans, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said, “There is no plan that we can tell you to shelter children in North Carolina.”

Last year, the Washington Examiner exposed that the Interior Department, on behalf of HHS, had quietly signed a five-year contract with the American Hebrew Academy, which allowed the federal government to take over the campus through 2027.

Then the Biden administration brokered a no-bid deal with for-profit company Deployed Resources for $177 million to oversee housing children at the academy site for 12 months.

Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) described being stunned by the recent news that the government would in fact begin sending minors from the border into Greensboro in August.

“After the HHS Secretary misled me and others about housing migrants in North Carolina, it appears the Greensboro facility will soon be the largest active housing facility for unaccompanied minors in the country once it opens in August,” Hudson, whose district is directly below Greensboro, said in a statement. “My colleagues and I have been fighting for answers about this facility for months and this sudden announcement is a blatant stab in the back by the administration.”

The deal, made behind closed doors with New York-based Deployed Resources rather than through the normal public solicitation process, is the latest in more than $1 billion worth of backdoor payouts that the Biden administration has made in secret in its attempt to downplay its response to the migration crisis at the southern border.

Former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tom Homan said the Biden administration should use family residential centers that ICE operates since they are largely vacant and well equipped for children.

“They’re sitting there empty,” Homan said Friday. “They’d rather put people in a hotel room or an Academy where they don’t have the resources that ICE has.”

The 100-acre Hebrew school campus opened in 2001 to educate Jewish high school students. It ceased operations in 2019. The campus has 16 dormitory buildings, 35 residential staff apartments, and an $18 million athletic center with an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

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The federal agency will provide classroom education, mental and medical health services, case management, translation services, legal services, and recreational facilities.

HHS and ACF did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The city of Greensboro did not respond to a request for comment. A public letter that ACF issued last week stated that it did not have an activation date set.

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North Carolina

People gather for NC Museum of History's annual American Indian Heritage Celebration in Raleigh

Published

3 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

People gather for NC Museum of History's annual American Indian Heritage Celebration in Raleigh

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — November is Native American Heritage Month, and it’s a time to celebrate the traditions and cultures of the many Native American communities across North Carolina.

On Friday and Saturday, the North Carolina Museum of History held its annual American Indian Heritage Celebration. People learned about Native American history through live performances, food, art, storytelling and more.

Since the history museum is closed for renovation, the celebration was held at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

“Our songs, our dances, our stories, our language–it’s all medicine to us,” Community Programs Coordinator of NC Museum of History Kaya Littleturtle said at last year’s celebration. “Medicine is anything that makes you well be it physical, spiritual, emotional, all those things are medicine. We hope is that people come out here and they learn about those things, to help uplift us as a people. We hope that it inspires them to go get engaged with things to help uplift them as a people.

This was the 29th year of the celebration.

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North Carolina

Eli Pancol helps Duke football beat Virginia Tech, keep spot as North Carolina’s top team

Published

12 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Eli Pancol helps Duke football beat Virginia Tech, keep spot as North Carolina’s top team

Duke hasn’t played pretty football at times, but the Blue Devils have consistently proven to be the top team in North Carolina.

After beating UNC (6-5, 3-4) and N.C. State (5-6, 2-5) earlier this year, Duke (8-3, 4-3 ACC) will go for the Tobacco Road sweep in the regular-season finale at Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5) on Nov. 30 (Noon, ACC Network).

Because of their consistently dominant defense and the ability to handle in-game adversity, the Blue Devils are in position to win double-digit games for just the second time in program history.

That’s quite a debut for first-year coach Manny Diaz, who has helped the Blue Devils win five of their six one-score games this season, including a 31-28 victory against Virginia Tech on Saturday in the home finale at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Duke report card vs Virginia Tech

Here’s what and who stood out on senior night in Duke’s eighth win of the 2024 college football season.

Duke wide receiver Eli Pancol caps comeback with special finale at Wallace Wade Stadium

Eli Pancol, Duke’s sixth-year wide receiver who missed the 2023 season with an injury, capped his comeback with an incredible performance in the final home game of his career.

Eli Pancol’s incredible comeback story

Finishing with five catches for 188 yards and three touchdowns, Pancol did most of that damage on two of the first four plays when he had an 86-yard catch-and-run touchdown, followed by a 77-yard catch-and-run TD. In his final two games at Wallace Wade Stadium, Pancol combined for 16 catches for 326 yards and four touchdowns.

Ozzie Nicholas, Cam Bergeron, Kendy Charles shine for Duke football defense

Pancol wasn’t the only senior to shine Saturday night against the Hokies. Duke’s top three tacklers were seniors, combining for 31 tackles, including three for loss. Princeton graduate transfer Ozzie Nicholas, Duke’s leading tackler, led the way again with 11 tackles. Fellow linebacker Cam Bergeron and defensive tackle Kendy Charles each had 10 tackles.

Overall, Duke had 14 tackles for loss, including eight sacks. The Blue Devils have consistently been among the top five teams in the nation at creating havoc for offenses as a steady presence in the backfield. It’s the main reason Duke is in position to reach 10 wins this season.

Manny Diaz keeps proving he was right hire for Blue Devils

Duke has won 10 games once since 1922, getting it done in 2013 under former coach David Cutcliffe, who helped resurrect a struggling program. Following Cutcliffe’s departure, Mike Elko won nine games in his first season and eight in his second before bolting to Texas A&M.

After a successful stint as a defensive coordinator at Penn State, Diaz got a second head-coaching opportunity when Duke hired him in December 2023. In three seasons as the head coach at Miami, Diaz had one year with eight wins. He accomplished that in his debut year at Duke, putting the program in position to join an exclusive club if the Devils can win their final two games.

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.

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North Carolina

Live Updates: Ball State vs No. 16 North Carolina At Battle 4 Atlantis 2024 – FloHoops

Published

20 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Live Updates: Ball State vs No. 16 North Carolina At Battle 4 Atlantis 2024 – FloHoops

No. 16 North Carolina and MAC favorite Ball State face-off in the Bahamas for a special one to kick off two weeks full of holiday college basketball tournaments coming live to FloHoops. The game begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 23 and is the second of many in the 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis Women’s College Basketball tournament.

The Paradise Island, Bahamas-based tournament hosts eight teams including No. 18 Baylor, Indiana, and Texas A&M.

No. 16 North Carolina is 3-1, coming off of a close loss a week ago to No. 2 UConn, falling 58-69 to the Huskies. They hold wins this season against NC A&T, UNC-Wilmington, and Charleston Southern.

Currently undefeated, Ball State will be hoping to upset North Carolina to add an important win to their resume en route to a potential at-large bid to the NCAA tournament at the end of the season. They have defeated Northern Iowa, IUPUI, Memphis, and Old Dominion so far this season.

Read the live updates, watch highlights and view scores after the game tips off at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Live Updates: Ball State vs No. 16 North Carolina Score At Battle 4 Atlantis

Refresh the page for live updates, highlights and scores from today’s game in the Bahamas. Tip off is at 6:30 p.m. ET.

While You Wait…LIVE NOW: Watch Columbia vs Indiana

Click here to tune in live to more women’s college basketball live on FloHoops.

we’ve got a 3️⃣ point game y’all 👏@CULionsWBB | #Battle4Atlantis | @B4AOfficial pic.twitter.com/9Rg0GzJtl6
— FloCollege | Basketball (@FloCollegeHoops) November 23, 2024
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Earlier Today On FloHoops: Baylor Puts Up 15 Threes, Hits Triple Digits vs Southern Miss

After four great quarters of basketball between Southern Miss and Baylor—the Lady Bears come out on top of game one of the Battle 4 Atlantis Women’s tournament.

Five Baylor players had more than 14 points today against the Lady Eagles and were 44% (15-34) from behind the three-point line, making that the most threes for them this season. Fontleroy and Andrews both tallied four.

For Southern Miss, Grayson and Evans led the points with 12, despite Grayson fouling out.

Despite their quick start, the Eagles were unable to keep up with Baylor and will be looking for redemption against the loser of Columbia vs Indiana. Baylor will play the winner.

Read the full game recap.

Battle 4 Atlantis Women’s Tournament Schedule

Saturday, November 23

Sunday, November 24

Monday, November 25

Battle 4 Atlantis Women’s Bracket

Battle 4 Atlantis 2024 Women’s Teams

How To Watch The Battle 4 Atlantis 2024 Women’s Tournament

Every game except the championship of the Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis will be streaming on FloHoops, FloCollege and the new FloSports streaming app.

Game replays, highlights and more will be available on all platforms.

How To Watch College Basketball On The FloSports Network

Basketball games are streaming all year long on FloHoops, FloCollege and the new FloSports streaming app. Game replays, highlights and more will be available on all platforms.

Watch NCAA Women’s Basketball On FloHoops

The NCAA Women’s Basketball is streaming live on FloHoops and the FloSports app.

The BIG EAST Digital Network is also on FloHoops and the FloSports app.

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Video footage from all events will be archived and stored in a video library for FloHoops subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.