VASSAR — A Tuscola Township resident claims to have spotted six U.S. Customs and Border Protection vans Wednesday night about three miles from Vassar — the city where Wolverine Human Services hopes to house child and teenage Central American immigrants.
The vans, traveling in pairs but with the pairs spaced apart, were on Frankenmuth Road between Lorenzo and VanCleve roads, headed away from Vassar about 7:30 p.m., according to the observer, who was driving toward Vassar.
“Maybe they were just here visiting — I have no idea — but they definitely caught my attention,” said the observer, who asked to remain unnamed. The Advertiser verified the person’s identity and address.
The driver claims to have seen a “U.S. Customs and Border Protection” insignia on the driver’s doors of four of the vans, but couldn’t be certain if the same insignia was on the the doors of the first pair of vehicles.
“I didn’t get a good, good look at the first two, but I noticed they had big, funny antennas on them,” the driver said. “I thought ‘That looks kind of odd.’ … But less than a quarter of a mile later, I saw two more vans coming, with the same goofy look, with these big huge antennas that almost looked like the big ham-radio antennas.”
When asked about the reported sighting of the federal vehicles, Wolverine Human Services Senior Vice President Derrick McCree said “There’s no validity to that rumor. It wasn’t (federal) staff, wasn’t any of our kids, didn’t have anything to do with us.”
McCree added that Wolverine hasn’t signed a contract yet to bring the first 60 immigrants to its Vassar Campus. Wolverine hopes to bring up to 120 Central American immigrants to Vassar — males from ages 12 to 17 — and says that will create about 115 new jobs.
The Tuscola Township motorist estimated that each of the six vans would hold a maximum of six people.
Tens of thousands of children and teenagers have crossed illegally into Texas in recent months from Central American countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. The federal government reports the youths flee to the U.S. to join family members here, escape abuse or exploitation, or seek employment or educational opportunities.
Protests on July 7 and July 14 in front of Vassar City Hall drew dozens of opponents of Wolverine’s plan to house the immigrants. During the protests, some Vassar residents said they support Wolverine’s plan, while others said they oppose it.