Long Island Facility Not a Viable Option to House Influx of Immigrant Children: Feds

Federal officials are no longer considering a former defense plant in Bethpage as a relocation site for thousands of immigrant children flooding into the country, the Department of Health and Human Services said Friday.

The agency said the former Grumman Corp. site was not a viable option.

Thousands of families and unaccompanied children have been coming to the U.S. in recent months. They are fleeing violence in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Many believe they will receive leniency from U.S. authorities.

Congressmen Steve Israel and Peter King, along with Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, had opposed a plan that could have sent some of the children to the Long Island facility. They said it was inappropriate for housing children.