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By David Lind, Jun. 21, 2014, Vox.com
The flow of unaccompanied immigrant children across the US-Mexico border — mostly from Central America — is continuing to gain attention as a humanitarian crisis.
So here are 13 things you need to know to get a handle on what is actually going on along the border right now; what process the US has in place to deal with unaccompanied kids; and what the government can do now:
1) The child migrant "surge" started in 2011, but has hit a crisis point this year
Border Patrol agents began reporting an increase in the number of unaccompanied children from Central America in the fall of 2011. Because fiscal year 2012 started in October 2011, the government's official numbers show an increase starting then — but anecdotal reports demonstrate that the surge began early that fiscal year, i.e. in 2011.
But this year, the surge has accelerated. In fiscal year 2014, an estimated 70,500 children are expected to get apprehended at the border — including 52,000 children from Central America.
US Customs and Border Protection says that apprehensions of "unaccompanied alien children" (the official government term) are up 92% from this time last year.
2) Not all children who get apprehended at the border get taken into custody
The numbers above refer to the number of kids getting apprehended at the border. But that's not the same as the number of kids that the government ultimately has to keep in custody and provide services for.
Historically, most unaccompanied children who get caught crossing the border have come from Mexico. And Mexican migrants who are apprehended crossing into the United States can be immediately "returned" to Mexico, no matter their age. (The US has the option of putting these migrants in formal removal proceedings, but it doesn't have to.)
This year, a projected 17,350 or so unaccompanied Mexican children will be apprehended by Border Patrol agents. Very few of those will end up getting housed in the US.
3) The current crisis stems from the fact that more children are going from Central America to other countries throughout the region
The reason that it's important to distinguish between children coming from Mexico and children coming from Central America is that Central American kids do have to be taken into US custody, rather than getting turned back at the border.
And in fiscal year 2014, for the first time ever, the majority of unaccompanied children are coming from Central American countries. More children are coming from Honduras alone than from Mexico — and nearly as many are coming from Guatemala as from Mexico.
So while the number of children that the US has to house isn't quite as high as the numbers reported by the government indicate, the increase is even more rapid than the official statistics show.
It's important to note, however, that other countries in the region are also receiving migrants from Central America:
Read the full story: www.vox.com
The flow of unaccompanied immigrant children across the US-Mexico border — mostly from Central America — is continuing to gain attention as a humanitarian crisis.
So here are 13 things you need to know to get a handle on what is actually going on along the border right now; what process the US has in place to deal with unaccompanied kids; and what the government can do now:
1) The child migrant "surge" started in 2011, but has hit a crisis point this year
Border Patrol agents began reporting an increase in the number of unaccompanied children from Central America in the fall of 2011. Because fiscal year 2012 started in October 2011, the government's official numbers show an increase starting then — but anecdotal reports demonstrate that the surge began early that fiscal year, i.e. in 2011.
But this year, the surge has accelerated. In fiscal year 2014, an estimated 70,500 children are expected to get apprehended at the border — including 52,000 children from Central America.
US Customs and Border Protection says that apprehensions of "unaccompanied alien children" (the official government term) are up 92% from this time last year.
2) Not all children who get apprehended at the border get taken into custody
The numbers above refer to the number of kids getting apprehended at the border. But that's not the same as the number of kids that the government ultimately has to keep in custody and provide services for.
Historically, most unaccompanied children who get caught crossing the border have come from Mexico. And Mexican migrants who are apprehended crossing into the United States can be immediately "returned" to Mexico, no matter their age. (The US has the option of putting these migrants in formal removal proceedings, but it doesn't have to.)
This year, a projected 17,350 or so unaccompanied Mexican children will be apprehended by Border Patrol agents. Very few of those will end up getting housed in the US.
3) The current crisis stems from the fact that more children are going from Central America to other countries throughout the region
The reason that it's important to distinguish between children coming from Mexico and children coming from Central America is that Central American kids do have to be taken into US custody, rather than getting turned back at the border.
And in fiscal year 2014, for the first time ever, the majority of unaccompanied children are coming from Central American countries. More children are coming from Honduras alone than from Mexico — and nearly as many are coming from Guatemala as from Mexico.
So while the number of children that the US has to house isn't quite as high as the numbers reported by the government indicate, the increase is even more rapid than the official statistics show.
It's important to note, however, that other countries in the region are also receiving migrants from Central America:
Read the full story: www.vox.com
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