Mississippi: Lawmakers criticize talk of turning former casino hotel into housing for migrant children

Two state lawmakers are criticizing the pending purchase of a defunct Tunica County casino that could potentially be used to house unaccompanied migrant children, though the deal has not been finalized.

State Rep. Dan Eubanks, a Republican from DeSoto County, and state Rep. Cedric Burnett, a Democrat from Tunica County, have openly panned an apparent plan to turn the old Harrah’s Casino building in Tunica into housing for migrant children.

“We need to protect the gaming industry we have in Tunica,” Burnett told Mississippi Today. “This would be counterproductive to what we’re currently trying to do in Tunica.”