(Rep. Jim) Bridenstine turned away from impromptu visit to immigrant children at Fort Sill (Okla.)

[alp227]

After requesting access to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services facility at Fort Sill near Lawton on Monday, U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla., was denied entry on Tuesday.

An area of the military base is being used as temporary shelter for 1,123 unaccompanied immigrant children who were detained while attempting to cross the Mexican border into the United States.

The children and teens are in the custody of HHS, which is providing care and attempting to find the children’s parents. Some youths may be deported if they are ineligible for immigration relief, officials have said.

As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Bridenstine routinely visits military bases in Oklahoma and had a scheduled visit to Fort Sill, according to spokeswoman Sheryl Kaufman.

The day before the visit, Bridenstine contacted HHS about seeing the housing conditions of the immigrant children but did not hear back from agency officials, Kaufman said.

After speaking with the base commander, Bridenstine went to the HHS section and was told he could return July 21 for a tour.

full: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/government/bridenstine-turned-away-from-impromptu-visit-to-immigrant-children-at/article_26de1276-04e8-56bf-9384-1d98bf0b9839.html

The article also reports that Gov. Mary Fallin, Sen. Jim Inhofe, and Rep. Tom Cole visited the site together on June 20 and concludes, "An HHS official indicated to Inhofe’s staff that arranging to have the elected officials visit the area at the same time was easier logistically than arranging individual visits." The Oklahoman reports: "The House Homeland Security Committee is holding a field hearing Thursday in McAllen, Texas, about the unaccompanied minors and will hear from federal, state and local officials."

Bridenstine is making headlines and is going on a right wing media tour complaining about his being denied access and claiming that the Obama administration is "hiding something." Even though 2 members of Congress got to visit before him.

The Tulsa World also could've noted that when Nancy Pelosi visited a Brownsville, TX immigrant facility, she was accompanied by Rep. Henry Cuellar and the First Lady of Honduras, again underscoring that HHS prefers tours with multiple officeholders than solo ones like Bridenstine tried to do.

If you see your wingnut friends hyping this Bridenstine story, send them the info about the Pelosi and Fallin tours. Who knows if at least one of them can critically think.

[tularetom]

1. He just wants to go in so he can lie about the conditions there

Undoubtedly, once he gets access he will report that these undeserving little urchins are living in country club surroundings, being waited on hand and foot by Amurkin military personnel, playing video games, lounging around the pool, eating tons of hamburgers and chugging down sugary drinks by the gallon, all paid for by Mr Bridenstine's white, working class constituents.