LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Four planes have landed recently at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport in Luzerne County. The planes carried unaccompanied children who had been at the U.S. southern border.
The flights were part of the federal government's refugee unification process. Congressman Matt Cartwright has been keeping track of developments.
"I had a briefing from the Department of Health and Human Services, which, in fact, was the agency responsible for those flights," said Representative Matt Cartwright, (D) 8th District.
Cartwright spoke about the flights during a stop in Old Forge.
He says many of the children on the planes came from countries in Central America, including Guatemala and Honduras.
"This has been going on for a couple of administrations now. In fact, the high point was in fiscal year 2019," said Cartwright.
Cartwright says the flights were not supposed to land at AVP but had to be sent there because of staffing shortages at the original destinations.
After landing, the children boarded busses on their way to their parents or to approved sponsors.
"They find vetted sponsors where these children go. They come over the border, they're in Texas, they're unaccompanied, they need to go someplace. They have vetted sponsors where they go. These sponsors have to sign a contract that says that they will bring these kids to their court hearing," said Cartwright.
Cartwright says the children who landed in Luzerne County did not stay in Northeastern Pennsylvania. He pointed to numbers from the Department of Health and Human Services, showing that this year the agency released 794 unaccompanied children to sponsors in Philadelphia County and 241 in Montgomery County.
Closer to our area, 86 kids were sent to Bucks County and 53 to Berks.
"If more than 50 kids go to a county, then that's registered. Lackawanna County has never had more than 50 kids come to it in an entire fiscal year. Luzerne County has never had more than 50 kids come to it in an entire fiscal year, even at the surge in 2019," said Cartwright.
DHHS reports more than 2,300 unaccompanied children were released to sponsors in Pennsylvania between October 2020 to October 2021.
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