Preparations Underway In Rockwall Co. For 200 Central American Kids

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ROCKWALL COUNTY (CBS11) - The beds at Sabine Creek Ranch in Rockwall County may soon be full with children again - but not your typical campers.

Hundreds of unaccompanied minors of Central American descent who crossed the border from Mexico are being moved from a government facility in Texas to make room for more.

The children, ages 12 to 18, are close to being placed with a sponsor in the U.S. while they continue the immigration process, according to a spokesperson with the Department of Health and Human Services. Sabine Creek Ranch's director Eddie Walker says he is happy to assist.

"I want to be wise, but I also want to say 'how can I help?', and this is a place that I have to offer," he says. "This is a way that I can do something, and so in this case maybe I'll have the opportunity to."

The minors will have completed medical checks before they arrive and will not attend local schools. They will be in the custody of the federal government - who also foots the bill - and will not be allowed to leave the camp. They will stay for a maximum of three weeks, according to the government spokesperson. Neighbor Kathy Anderson supports the decision.

"I think that they're doing a good thing," she says. "I believe these kids deserve a second chance, and I can feel for them from where I came from."

But others are concerned that the safety and well-being of Texans is not the top priority.

"It's sad. it's unfortunate that we don't have secure borders that would prevent them from coming in," says Rockwall County resident Martin Doolan. "We're not doing what we need to do to protect the citizens of this country."

Walker says he has not gotten official word from the federal government that the children will be staying at Sabine Creek Ranch. But the site was vetted earlier this week, and he says they are prepared.

200 children are expected to arrive in multiple phases during the latter part of next week.

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