Syracuse Mayor: We’ll House Migrant Children From Central America

As the federal government works to determine what to do with tens of thousands of migrant children from Central America, the mayor of Syracuse is telling President Obama to house them in central New York.

Here is a portion of Stephanie Miner's letter to the president:

Dear President Obama:
The purpose of this letter is to ask for your help to create a partnership between Syracuse and the federal government to help mitigate the humanitarian crisis of the unaccompanied minors arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Like many Americans, people in Syracuse are engrossed by the plight of the children arriving at our border. As a city with a rich immigrant tradition we feel strongly these children should be welcomed and protected. Toward that end, Syracuse would welcome the opportunity to provide shelter while the larger global issues causing them to leave home for such an arduous journey are resolved.

The Syracuse Post Standard (click the link to find the entire letter) reports this isn't the first time the idea of housing migrants in CNY has been discussed:

Federal officials have explored using six buildings at the former Maria Regina College, a 10-acre campus at Court Street and Grant Boulevard, said Rochelle Cassella, speaking for the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities.

That site could house upto 200 children, the post standard reports.