Pruitt calls for 'transparency' regarding placement of Fort Sill juveniles

“It’s hard to know what the (legal) issues are,” Pruitt said during a morning town hall meeting. “We don’t really have any information about what is going to be done with these kiddos.

“There’s just very little coordination between federal government and state government.”

Pruitt said that lack of communications concerns some state agencies, particularly the Department of Human Services.

Officials have previously said few if any of the juveniles at Fort Sill will wind up in Oklahoma, but Pruitt said the state should be given more definitive information.

“Is placement actually happening?” he said. “There are anecdotes about that, but we need information that is factual.

“The state is entitled to know. DHS has legal responsibilities (for) families that are perhaps going to be sponsors, if that is indeed what’s going on.

“If they are being placed, how are they being placed? DHS, at the state level, has responsibility for foster homes and the rest. It impacts the state ... if they are being placed.”

Pruitt is unopposed for a second term, but on Wednesday embarked on a series of community meetings with stops in Sand Springs, Sapulpa and Bixby.

His opening remarks were focused on lawsuits his office has brought challenging aspects of the Affordable Care Act and the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional haze rules, but audience questions revolved around public safety, illegal immigration and the juveniles at Fort Sill.

Pruitt, who earlier mentioned a surge in violent crime along the Interstate 44 corridor from Lawton to Tulsa, deflected suggestions that illegal immigration is to blame.

“A lot of it just has to do with it being the I-44 corridor,” Pruitt said. “There have been a lot of trafficking concerns because of the confluence of I-44, I-35 and I-40.”

Pruitt said the situation with the juveniles at Fort Sill should be “depoliticized.”

He said Oklahomans should not “jump to conclusions” about the center or the juveniles housed there.

“The most important thing is transparency so we can make informed decisions,” he said. “Right now everything is kind of murky.”

DHS spokeswoman Sheree Powell said HHS contacted the state agency recently about “a few” possible placements with families living in Oklahoma.

“It’s appropriate that we would share any information we have for this reason,” Powell said. “It appears they are exploring a variety of options for a few kids and asked if we had information on some potential families. It is part of their due diligence.”

DHS is not involved in the placement decisions and the children are not entering the state’s foster care system, Powell said.

The state officials initially had concerns about its role with the immigrant juvenile program.

But a conference call held between state and federal officials soon after the announcement determined any impact DHS would have.

“HHS was very gracious and answered all our questions and explained how this program works,” Powell said. “At this time, DHS is not involved in the placement of the children. That is all handled at the federal level. We have no involvement in that.”

Hypothetically, if a child is placed with a family in Oklahoma and abuse or neglect allegations arise six months from now, then DHS would investigate through its Child Protective Services unit.

“We would be responsible for getting involved then, like we would for any Oklahoma child,” Powell said. “But, at the placement or custody level, DHS is not involved and we do not anticipate being involved.”

World Staff Writer Ginnie Graham contributed to this story.