A Pennsylvania community is expressing significant concern over reports that up to 1,000 migrants may move into a former Civil War-era orphanage. Located in the town of Scotland, near the historic Gettysburg battlefield, an Indiana-based disaster response organization is eyeing the building, recently used as a summer camp, to “provide shelter for refugee families.”
In an August letter responding to the proposal, Greene Township zoning officer Daniel Bachman noted that the building’s most recent use falls within the R-1 or low-density residential code, which would not accommodate a higher-density shelter. The zoning denial, however, can be appealed.
USA Up Star describes itself as a “service-disabled veteran-owned business” established in 2009. It claims it provides disaster and warfighter support. In addition, the organization’s website says it provides a range of services, including the construction of “base camps.” Among the other structures and equipment they provide are “Shelters.”
Some state lawmakers representing the area are moving to block the efforts to turn the property into a shelter for migrants. State Senator Doug Mastriano notes the location’s proximity to the Letterkenny Army Depot, making it a national security-sensitive site.
Meanwhile, Representative John Joyce (R-GA) has drafted an amendment to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) appropriations bill to block federal funds from supporting unaccompanied minor migrant housing at privately owned facilities in the county.
