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Illegal youths have no place in Northeast Philly

THIS COLUMN is a limited tip of the hat to Congressman Brendan Boyle. Boyle represents Northeast Philadelphia and parts of Montgomery County. He was on my show last week voicing his opposition to bringing the "unaccompanied minors" to Northeast Philadelphia. These kids from Central America and Mexico were brought to our borders by coyotes or others and are in various spots in our country waiting for their legal status to be decided.

THIS COLUMN is a limited tip of the hat to Congressman Brendan Boyle. Boyle represents Northeast Philadelphia and parts of Montgomery County. He was on my show last week voicing his opposition to bringing the "unaccompanied minors" to Northeast Philadelphia. These kids from Central America and Mexico were brought to our borders by coyotes or others and are in various spots in our country waiting for their legal status to be decided.

Boyle confirmed to me that the Obama administration has briefed him on the fact that the Naval Support Activity complex in the city's Lawndale section would house those minors. As the Northeast Times reported, when other Congress members were informed that their districts had military facilities possibly targeted to house these kids, they objected publicly. North Dakota Republican Kevin Cramer wrote a public letter to the Office of Refugee Resettlement director Robert Carey expressing his opposition to the settlement of the illegal minors at Grand Forks Air Force Base. The Northeast Times reports that Alabama Republican Martha Roby wrote a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell opposing the housing of illegal immigrant detainees at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery.

For a Democrat in Philadelphia, this is a fairly bold move. Mayor Kenney has reaffirmed Philadelphia's status as a sanctuary city along the lines of San Francisco, and he constantly wraps himself in moral arguments to push back against those who offer rule-of-law arguments and arguments that Philadelphia should not become a magnet for those who want to come here illegally. Those who have called me oppose the quartering of the minors, because they want them returned to Central America now and want to send a signal that future waves will have no chance to remain here.

In the middle of my interview, Boyle put forth the idea that he is trying to get support in Congress to get resources and an agreement with Mexico to help shut down its border with Guatemala and more effectively cut off the minors going through Mexico to reach Texas and maybe ultimately to places such as Northeast Philly. I salute him for ideas like this. This possibility flies in the face of the Obama administration's position, which clearly has triggered waves of kids being sent to our country to ultimately stay here permanently.

So I wonder what Kenney and Philadelphia City Council will say about this? Just last week, Council passed a resolution against deportation raids by the Obama administration. I really wonder; does that position really reflect the voters of Philadelphia?

Based on calls and emails I've received from people in Boyle's district, I think people in Northeast Philadelphia rejected the placement of the kids in Lawndale. Will they be called bigots? Are their fears of disease, among other things, not something to be discussed? The government's medical screening of the unaccompanied minors appears to be spotty at best.

As for the fear of new diseases coming to Northeast Philly, the Zika virus coming from Brazil and Central America has dominated the news for a week. Pregnant women appear to be particularly vulnerable to the virus, which is said to cause birth defects in their unborn children. This might be an inconvenient truth but it is a factor in deciding how to deal with this problem.

So it will be fascinating to see where these kids are placed and whether they are sent back to Central America. It also will be interesting to see how it goes with Boyle's out-of-the-box idea of getting a deal with Mexico to stop the influx of kids coming over its border with Guatemala. This idea deserves a bipartisan exploration as a solution to prevent the out-of-control situation we face.

Lawndale is a long way from Central America. But not so long that it's not a test of the right thing to do.

Teacher-turned-talk show host Dom Giordano is heard 9 a.m. to noon weekdays on WPHT Radio (1210-AM). Contact Dom at www.domgiordano.com.

On Twitter: @DomShow1210