Tunica Votes Against Housing Migrant Children at Shuddered Harrah’s Casino

Mississippi Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith opposes efforts to convert the shuddered Harrah's Tunica casino into a temporary refuge for unaccompanied migrant children. 

The Tunica County Board of Supervisors has rejected a proposal to house up to 2,000 unaccompanied migrant children at the site of a former Harrah’s casino in Mississippi, a plan that some local officials opposed based on the location rather than the concept.

The Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 against the proposal on Thursday night, according to ABC 24. 

Tunica County Not Prepared to Host Migrants, Officials Say

The plan had been opposed by Mississippi State Rep. Cedric Burnett (D-Marks), who said that while Tunica could potentially help house children who crossed the border, this plan was not the right way to go about it.

“Tunica can help, just not at that location. That location is prime for development,” Rep. Burnett said ahead of the vote. “There would only be two people that would make money: the guy selling the property and the group proposing this project. They’ll receive hundreds of millions of dollars; Tunica won’t see a dime.”

Tunica County Sheriff K.C. Hamp also opposed the plan, saying that the county couldn’t support such a program without adequately preparing for it.

“Everyone needs a safe haven, but there has to be strategic planning,” Hamp said. “And in this case, where it’s concerning public safety, Tunica County does not have the resources to accommodate something of this magnitude without planning.”

Sen. Hyde Smith: Facility ‘Inadequate’ for Children

The controversy over the proposal even reached national lawmakers. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi) said she received an influx of phone calls and emails from concerned constituents over the issue, according to SuperTalk. Hyde-Smith opposed the plan, arguing that it wasn’t Mississsippi’s responsibility to take care of children who were the victims of what she says is a failure of President Joe Biden to secure the US/Mexico border.

“This situation is ripe for exploitation and abuse. These children are in a tough enough situation as it is…they need to be reunited in their home countries rather than be made to stay in a shelter in Tunica, Mississippi,” Hyde-Smith said. “We’re not prepared. It is an inadequate facility for children. I hope that these children are taken care of in a proper way, of course, but in a proper way that I don’t believe Mississippi is prepared to provide.”

The proposal would have turned the former Harrah’s Casino into an “influx care facility,” or ICF. There are currently 289 ICFs in 29 states throughout the US. 

The casino was shuttered in 2014. At that time, it was floated as a potential ICF, but Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant wrote to then President Barack Obama saying he would not accept immigrants sent to the state.

Caesars shut down the casino due to what it says was steadily declining business at the property. While the casino facility itself was demolished in 2015, the hotel buildings remain standing to this day, and would have constituted the ICF. 

In 2021, developers announced a $140 million plan to redevelop the property, planning to add a golf course, water park, hotels, and other amenities. Tunica County issued $148 million in bonds to support the conversion, but the project never broke ground and was put on hold in 2022.