On Thursday, former congressman Mark Walker proposed using the unoccupied Influx Care Facility (ICF) in Greensboro, leased by the federal government to house illegal immigrant minors, as a shelter for victims of Helene, instead. Walker is a former US representative for North Carolina’s 6th district, who ran against Addison McDowell in the Republican primary earlier this year.
Hey @FEMA, 800 beds in Greensboro are available. The U.S. Govt. has a $50 million lease and it’s currently unoccupied. While the center is waiting to house apprehended illegals, maybe you could take care of our own western North Carolinians first. pic.twitter.com/uWL0LEbkF7
— Mark Walker (@RepMarkWalker) October 3, 2024
“Having been up there and seeing it first-hand, it’s gut-wrenching giving someone a gallon of water and they’re acting like it’s Christmas Day,” Walker told the Carolina Journal. “It’s a powerful reminder of just how destitute western North Carolina is right now, so all of us, whether working with nonprofits, or working as just members of society, let’s do everything we can to put North Carolinians first in this process.”
While this facility technically opened in March, it has remained unoccupied and is on standby mode for upgrades, according to news reports. An HHS factsheet indicates that as of June 23rd, operations have been at “facility upkeep.” Once up and running, the facility will serve as a temporary holding facility for unaccompanied migrant minors.
“They’ve already been paid $50 million from the US government contract, specifically the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS),” said Walker. “Why not use it as a temporary shelter for housing displaced people who’ve lost everything in western North Carolina?”
Local officials told Walker that there are zero refugees or illegal migrants currently being housed in the facility. Walker suggests that FEMA partner with local organizations with boots on the ground in western North Carolina to make this a reality.
NC Baptists have more than 1K volunteers working relief and recovery in Western North Carolina. I’ll be traveling up tomorrow with our NC Baptist Executive Director visiting the areas. Many communities with no power, no internet, and roads have been washed out without access to… pic.twitter.com/wKfwCgv9my
— Mark Walker (@RepMarkWalker) September 28, 2024
A key component of making this a reality is the logistics of transporting those in need of shelter to the facility, several hours away from where most of the damage is in the western part of the state. Fortunately, it is an easy commute to the ICF facility in Greensboro from Interstate 40 near Asheville.
“All we would need is the green light to make this happen, and we could provide the transportation,” said Walker. “The folks in need of housing would be instructed to go to one of the five main facilities or sites established by different groups. I think that this is something that could be easily managed over the next few days.”
Congressman Richard Hudson, R-NC-09, also called on the federal government to open up the facility to hurricane victims.
.@SecBecerra and @fema should open up the UNOCCUPIED Greensboro ICF to temporarily house WNC families now tragically displaced.
— Rep. Richard Hudson (@RepRichHudson) October 4, 2024
My team reached out to the Biden-Harris admin urging them to quickly make this happen and help North Carolinians in need.
Walker told the Carolina Journal that he supports the push for a federal funding package for disaster relief and believes Speaker Johnson needs to call back Congress early from recess to pass a federal aid package for disaster relief. This is something that many members of both the House and Senate are already pushing for.
However, according to Walker, passing a federal aid package will take some time, and action is needed now.
“We’ve got relief workers suffering from fatigue finding bodies in ditches and trees,” he said. “We can go ahead and move on this now. I’m calling for somebody to turn the lights on and open the gates. There are enough nonprofits, some of the best in the country, right here in North Carolina, with Samaritan’s Purse and Baptists On Missions that have been on the ground for four or five days already…with 800 beds in a facility that is already predisposed to be able to house people with nothing, so we’ve got to move on this now.”
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated.