Town Supervisor: Lincoln Hall Resettlement Program Already In Effect

Lincoln Hall Boys Haven is already host to 37 undocumented children who are under 18 years old and don't have guardians, Somers town supervisor Mary Beth Murphy told board members in a work session meeting Thursday evening.

Murphy said she spoke directly with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and learned that the federal agency expedited the Lincoln Hall program, which only took "a matter of weeks" to put into effect. 

The children who are part of what's called the Unaccompanied Alien Children Program are not integrated into the general population, according to Murphy's update, and will stay on average for 70 days until they are placed with a custodian or sponsor.

The children are not allowed into the community independently. Occasional group cultural trips are part of the program. "Somers is not a sponsor destination," Murphy said.

The ORR said it would try to send a representative to next week's town board meeting or to one in August. 

For more Patch coverage of Lincoln Hall, click . 

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