A boys shows a US flag as President Barack Obama speaks on immigration at the Chamizal National Memorial on May 10, 2011 in El Paso, Texas. Obama has recently revived his goal of achieving comprehensive immigration reform, opening a path to legalization for the estimated 11 million foreign nationals living in the country illegally, most of them Hispanics. AFP PHOTO/Jewel Samad (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images); Credit: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
The number of minors crossing the border into the US from Central America has shot up since October 2013, with an estimated 52,000 children entering the U.S. illegally. New shelters in border towns are full of children smuggled to the U.S. – many say they are here to meet family living in the country, and that they are fleeing violent conditions in their homelands. Once detained in the processing facilities, these children enter a process towards deportation.
The Obama administration has declared the influx a humanitarian crisis, and blames the increase in child migrants on instability in Central America. The White House requested that Congress approve policy changes and funding to assist in sending back Central American children, but House Speaker Boehner said the House won’t vote on immigration overhaul this year.
The issue remains politically fraught, with critics of the president arguing that lax border policies and unclear messages about the legality of children entering the U.S. contributed to the problem. For children crossing illegally into the U.S. from Central America, the issue of deportation is complicated – currently, Border Patrol can only hold minors for 72 hours, and a court hearing is required to determine whether they will be deported or allowed to stay. A massive backlog of cases can turn that deliberation into a years-long processes.
How should the United States address the influx of unaccompanied minors immigrating illegally? Could expediting the legal process help the situation? What kinds of reforms may be necessary?
Guests:
Leslie Berestein-Rojas, KPCC’s Immigration and Emerging Communities reporter who’s been following the story locally
Alex Norawsteh, immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity
Wendy Young, president of Kids in Need of Defense