Surge in illegal kids at the US-Mexican Border

[Robby999 1,024]

The number of children caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has surged over the last two years, raising questions about whether the Obama administration's changing immigration policies are creating a magnet.

Statistics released late last week show 24,668 "unaccompanied alien children" were placed last year in the care of the federal agency that, by law, is responsible for them. That's nearly double the number from 2012, and nearly quadruple the number in years past.

As is often the case with immigration statistics, it's unclear what is driving the increase. The surge could be driven in part by better enforcement, and immigration officers doing a better job catching border crossers.

But critics point to other factors. A federal judge in Texas claimed earlier this month that the Department of Homeland Security has been delivering children smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border to their illegal immigrant parents. In June 2012, the administration decided to give a reprieve to young illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.

Though the latter would not apply to people who just arrived, critics say these policies send a clear message south of the border: The rewards of trying to cross into the U.S. outweigh the risks.

Chris Crane, who heads The National ICE Council immigration officer union, said agents are being "overrun" with children crossing the border.

"We can't keep up with it," he said.

According to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, most of the minors come from Central America -- largely Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

The stats show a big spike over the past two years. The office recorded an "unprecedented increase" in 2012, with the number jumping from an average of 6,775 to 13,625.

The numbers refer to children who are intercepted by the Department of Homeland Security. Under federal law, many of those children are transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, within the Department of Health and Human Services.

They are supposed to be entered into immigration proceedings, though Judge Andrew Hanen questioned whether this was necessarily happening, particularly in cases where minors were reunited with their parents.

Most of the children are housed through a network of federally funded care centers. But as the traffic increases, those are becoming over-burdened. The situation drew national attention in 2012 when Lackland Air Force Base in Texas was used to house dozens of children.

The children can, in some cases, be placed with relatives. But Hanen, in his Dec. 13 order, claimed the practice is going too far. He accused the government of effectively aiding the drug cartels which play a big role in human smuggling rings and claimed the practice is "encouraging" more smuggling. (It's unclear to what extent the ORR statistics count those who are transported to their parents in the U.S.).

Some of the children who cross illegally into the U.S. can petition for legal status. According to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, those seeking asylum or who can demonstrate they were abused or abandoned by their parents in their native country can be eligible. Non-profits sometimes provide legal representation for these individuals. One such group, Kids in Need of Defense, notes that many are escaping "abuse or persecution" in coming to the U.S.

While dealing with the influx of children and teens crossing the border, the Obama administration has tried to prioritize deportations for those who have committed crimes while in the U.S. -- while going easy on so-called "DREAM Act"-style cases.

Hanen wrote that his court is "not blind to the needs of a minor child," and recognizes the right of prosecutors to use their "discretion" in such cases.

However, he wrote, "those who hear that they should not fear prosecution or deportation will not hesitate, and obviously have not hesitated, to [violate immigration law]."

Ira Mehlman, spokesman with the Federation for American Immigration Reform, called the judge's accusations "fairly astounding."

He claimed that "non-enforcement policies" are what's behind the increase in illegal crossings, though noted that the practice of linking up children with relatives in the U.S. has "been going on for awhile."

Hurry, let's get the kids up here so we can further flood the welfare system of the United States! I can't blame this on Obama alone, so Thanks to all the incompetent politicians that would sell their mother out to gain favor with certain groups of people to stay in office. They all should be tried as traitors for further weakening our nationality security by failing to enforce CURRENT immigration laws and protecting our borders.

[Karee 4,191]

Not surprising. This is what happens when the govt. rewards illegal behavior. It gives people an incentive to break the law when they know there's a benefit for it down the road.

[decocker 7,198]

surge in illegal kids.. what utter nonsense.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Illegal childhood. Is that like being an adult in disguise?

Edited January 21, 2014 by Papa Lazarou

[Robby999 1,024]

What is not sutprising is the fact that the only response from the left is worrying about the politically correct topic title and completely ignoring the fact that the problem does exist!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

What is not sutprising is the fact that the only response from the left is worrying about the politically correct topic title and completely ignoring the fact that the problem does exist!

What is not surprising is that you think a couple of scattered responses is a barometer of leftist opinion on the subject of illegal immigration.

Like many others here, you appear to be so conditioned to think in broad brush generalisations that you don't see individuals, you see 'types'.

[decocker 7,198]

What is not sutprising is the fact that the only response from the left is worrying about the politically correct topic title and completely ignoring the fact that the problem does exist!

has nothing to do with political correctness. it has to do with human beings not being illegal. children that get caught up in human trafficking need help no matter what border they're being smuggled across. did you read the article or just get giddy over having a reason to cry about foreign children receiving US welfare?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

And Fox News continues to dumb America down, one viewer (or reader) at a time. Fabulous!

Perhaps this surge has causes other than what the blockheads think is the obvious.

"A major factor in the increase, known simply as "the surge" to government officials and child-welfare advocates, appears to be the rise in gang violence in Central America. The number of Guatemalan, Honduran, and Salvadoran children crossing alone has skyrocketed in recent years, even as the number of Mexican kids has held steady. "What's alarming is that there's an increasing number saying they're fleeing forcible gang recruitment and gang violence," says Elizabeth Kennedy, a San Diego State University researcher who studies unaccompanied child migrants. "They were being forcibly recruited into the gangs and didn't want to be a part of it, and so they had to flee because threats had been made on them or their family members."

That's exactly what happened to two of Arriaga's younger brothers back in their hometown of La Cumbre; one came to the United States last year, at 17, while the other, 16, crossed the border a couple of months ago. As the authors of a 2012 Women's Refugee Commission report (PDF) on the surge wrote, "Until conditions for children in these countries change substantially, we expect this trend will be the new norm."

Still, unaccompanied children barely register in the national immigration debate, where most of the talk about youth has focused on the DREAM Act, the proposed legislation that would legalize some undocumented immigrants brought to the country as kids. (It would require five years of residency and a high school diploma, disqualifying most of these more-recent migrants.) Legal-aid groups have pushed reforms such as government-appointed lawyers for unaccompanied children. Many of them, advocates note, actually qualify for asylum or other legal relief, but will never know it because they don't have legal representation."

[Robby999 1,024]

If the child's parent uses smugglers to illegally transport their child across borders putting the child at risk or sexual explotation and possible death, why does the immigration officers hand deliver the smuggled children to the negligent parent instead of delivering the child to Child Protective Services? If I as an American citizen willingly exposed my children to such hazards, the authorities would be standing in line to take my children away from me and locking me up for neglect and child endangerment.

[Darnell 8,479]

If the child's parent uses smugglers to illegally transport their child across borders putting the child at risk or sexual explotation and possible death, why does the immigration officers hand deliver the smuggled children to the negligent parent instead of delivering the child to Child Protective Services? If I as an American citizen willingly exposed my children to such hazards, the authorities would be standing in line to take my children away from me and locking me up for neglect and child endangerment.

I'm thinking it's solely cause the ICE fellas have other directives coming from the top. You know, to help sway the new democrats coming into the pipe.

[JohnR! 5,495]

I'm thinking it's solely cause the ICE fellas have other directives coming from the top. You know, to help sway the new democrats coming into the pipe.

Me too. I blame it entirely on Obama the Kenyan. The problem is illegal crossing the south border did not exist prior to 1/1/2009. It is all part of the vast, huge and incommensurable left wing conspiracy.

[Karee 4,191]

Someone is having fun with their dictionary again.

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

If the child's parent uses smugglers to illegally transport their child across borders putting the child at risk or sexual explotation and possible death, why does the immigration officers hand deliver the smuggled children to the negligent parent instead of delivering the child to Child Protective Services?

Don't blame the people coming over the border, it is human nature to do anything to protect your family and improve your lot in life. As long as the perception is there that crossing the border will be better for a person and his/her family they will continue to cross.

We as a country choose to be an attractive nuisance. We don't have to be - border protection will never be a total solution. Some very simple laws and enforcement of those laws would fix the problem. We choose not to do so.

Personally I have stopped caring about the flow from the south - They throw better parties and I already speak spanish. Bring it on!

[B_J 2,752]

Me too. I blame it entirely on Obama the Kenyan. The problem is illegal crossing the south border did not exist prior to 1/1/2009. It is all part of the vast, huge and incommensurable left wing conspiracy.

Someone is having fun with their dictionary again.

Seriously, what is it with the big words? Why use big words when small ones will do just fine?

I looked up incommensurable. It means impossible to measure. Or really, really vast and huge.

[Karee 4,191]

Seriously, what is it with the big words? Why use big words when small ones will do just fine?

I looked up incommensurable. It means impossible to measure. Or really, really vast and huge.

I guess it's supposed to make you look smarter. Like you know what you're talking about.