At first I thought that reply in parentheses was the article writer's addition, but now I think it was the emailer's own comment on whether NO was sending people they did not want...
As I went back to re read after your post I think your right. Kinda like when the Cubans dumped a bunch of criminals on the shores of Florida. "Are these people in LA sending us their criminals and gang bangers and drug addicts?" That kind of thing.