ALMA, Michigan (AP) – The Department of Civil Rights is watching a mid-Michigan community grant a zone change to provide temporary housing for teenagers crossing the U.S. southern border.
Executive Director John E. Johnson Jr. said his agency was concerned that Alma “could discriminate against people based on race, color and national origin.”
Bethany Christian Services would like to use a former nursing home to provide housing for boys for up to 40 days or until a sponsor is found. The boys between the ages of 12 and 17 crossed the US border without parents or legal guardians and have no legal status in this country.
However, the Alma Planning Commission recently recommended rejecting a zone change. City commissioners could pick up the issue on Sept. 14, The Morning Sun reported.
Commissioners must not make decisions based on “fears, stereotypes, unfounded assumptions or alleged public safety concerns that include unfounded beliefs that members of certain protected classes are more likely to be involved in criminal activity,” Johnson said.
In response, Alma’s city attorney said the city was aware of the non-discrimination rules.
The planning commission, which found opposition in the community, opposed the zoning change because it failed to address the “general health, safety, welfare, comfort and convenience of the city’s citizens,” a key factor in considering an application, said Tony Costanzo the State.
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