US Border: Migrant Kids Keep Crossing - Key Facts to Know
More are settling in Texas, California, Florida & New York than any other states.
Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Officers continue to encounter migrant children who illegally crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into the state. The most recent report comes from Eagle Pass where - on Friday, November 8, 2024 -DPS Officers found 13 unaccompanied children, ages 7-16, from Honduras, Guatemala, & Nicaragua among a large group of 114 illegal immigrants who had just crossed the border.
The children - along with the adult migrants - were handed over to US Border Patrol (USBP) Agents.
Here are answers to common questions about this border issue:
What happens to the children once they are in federal custody?
US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) gives each child a "Notice to Appear" in immigration court.
Within 72 hours CBP must turn the children over to the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).
ORR screens the children for trafficking, conducts medical examinations, and provides them with needed immunizations. Case managers and legal services are also provided.
ORR's next priority is to match each child with an "adult sponsor" defined as "a parent or a close family relative living in the United States." It takes 34 days on average to match a child with a sponsor.
As of November 1, 2024, there were 6,148 unaccompanied children in federal custody awaiting placement with an approved sponsor.
Where do most of these children go?
The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) says - based on ORR data - over the past ten years the majority (97,801) of unaccompanied children have settled with sponsors in Texas, followed by California with 80,404 children, Florida with 71,899 children, and New York State with 57,980 children.
When broken down to the county level, the MPI says most of those children (44,054) settled in Harris County (Houston), followed by Los Angeles (32, 778), Dallas (17,059), Miami-Dade (15,125) and Palm Beach (13,245).
In New York State most of the children settled in Suffolk County (12, 476) and Queens County (10,934).
Who are these children and where are they coming from?
In 2023, 76% were over 14 years old, and 61% were boys.
Most came from the Central American "Northern Triangle" Countries of Guatemala (42%); Honduras (28%) and El Salvador (9%).
8% of the children were Mexican while 13% came from various other countries.
Why are they coming?
Many children are fleeing violence from gangs and drug cartels. In some countries, such as El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, children face some of the highest homicide rates in the world.
Some parents are sending their children to the US in the hope to link them up with family members already here to help them escape the crime and poverty in their homeland.
Other parents send their children across the border alone in the hope of being able to later claim asylum themselves.
Meanwhile, as evidenced by the latest report from the DPS in Texas - the children continue coming.
What should be done about the migrant children who illegally cross the border alone into the United States?
Share your opinion in the comments on this article!
