Pennsylvania town in uproar over plans to house migrant children in Civil War-era orphanage

A Pennsylvania community is outraged over proposed plans to house 1,000 undocumented migrant children in a historic Civil War-era orphanage.

In a recent letter, a representative of the Indiana-based disaster relief organization USA Up Star asked if the facility could be used to “provide shelter for refugee families.”

The Scotland School for Veterans Children, once an orphanage, recently turned summer camp, is located in Scotland, Pennsylvania.

Several Franklin County lawmakers and residents spoke out against the potential plan to house the migrants at a city-sanctioned meeting packed with concerned citizens on Tuesday.

“We stand united in our opposition to the housing of illegal immigrants by federal government contractors in Franklin County,” read a joint press release from Rep. Rob Kauffman and Sen. Doug Mastriano.

“We join our neighbors, friends and constituents in defending Franklin County from foreign invasion from our southern border,” they added.

Franklin County resident Sue McPhail said, “We’re concerned because we have no idea who these people are.

“They’re not checked. We don’t know where they’re from, we don’t know if they’re involved in gangs, we don’t know if they’re drug or sex traffickers,” she added in an interview with WGAL8.

In a letter to a USA Up Star staffer in August, Greene Township Planning Officer Daniel Bachman wrote that the former school’s most recent use as a summer camp falls within the area’s low-density housing regulations and that its use as a higher-density shelter is not permitted.

USA Up Star reached out to Bachman and wrote that they are working with the federal government on the matter and that they are requesting additional information from the city regarding the zoning ordinance, according to a letter obtained by Fox News Digital.

Mastriano said that if plans to house migrants in the historic building go ahead, authorities could still try to prevent it.

He referred to the nearby army depot at Letterkenny, noting that the national security situation at that site for tactical weapons and missiles is sensitive, and that its proximity to the proposed housing development could pose a significant risk if migrants got their way.

“If it goes into effect here, we’re going to see lawlessness. This is going to be a dangerous community,” Mastriano said at Tuesday’s meeting.

“People are going to run because of the crime. A chain link fence wouldn’t keep a teenager out. I used to climb over chain link fences when I was a kid, even younger than a teenager. It’s going to be devastating to the community,” he added.

The joint press release raised further concerns: ‘In addition to the impact on the housing market, population growth also increases demand for basic services such as water, sewerage, waste collection and broadband internet.’

“It also puts a strain on school systems, child care, physical and behavioral health providers, and safety personnel such as fire departments, EMS, police, and the criminal justice system.”

Bystanders took to social media to express their outrage, with one user on X writing: “Could use it to house American homeless and military veterans. I’m tired of giving out free stuff to illegal aliens while American citizens suffer.”

Another noted, “We need to stop taking in millions of illegals and/or ‘migrants.’ This country can’t afford it. We can’t afford the blow to our economy, our system, or frankly, our culture.”

The Scotland School for Veterans Children was founded in 1895 to educate the children of Pennsylvania servicemen. The Chambersburg campus closed in 2009, leaving 70 buildings vacant, including a library, gymnasium and chapel.