Topline
Central American migrant children who have crossed the border into the U.S. are being sent to Mexico without adult supervision and with no family to meet them, the New York Times reported Friday, which a United States Border Patrol official called a violation of United States policy.
A girl from Anapra, a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez in Mexico, touches hands with ... [+]
Key Facts
Over 200 children from countries like Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras have been forced into Mexico after trying to cross into the U.S. in the last eight months, according to the New York Times, where they were placed with welfare authorities and into shelters operated by religious groups and private organizations.
According to U.S. policy and an agreement with the Mexican government, only Mexican children and children with adult supervision can be pushed back into Mexico after trying to cross the border, the report said, others are supposed to be flown back to their home countries by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Trump administration in March began turning away migrants and asylum seekers who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally instead of moving them into detention centers, a policy the administration had sought in the past that was blocked by federal courts, saying the policy change was necessary to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
An email from U.S. Border Patrol’s assistant chief, Eduardo Sanchez, obtained by the Times, confirmed that unaccompanied children had been sent back into Mexico instead of being flown to their home countries, and acting commissioner of the Customs and Border Protection agency Mark Morgan acknowledged that expelling unaccompanied non-Mexican children to Mexico was against U.S. policy.
Key Background
The Trump administration has come under heavy fire for its infamous “family separation” policy, which was recently the subject of a 21-month investigation by the House Judiciary Committee. The Committee’s report found the Trump administration moved forward with a national family separation policy despite “full knowledge that hundreds of children would likely be lost to their families forever.”
Tangent
The U.S. State Department announced Thursday only 15,000 refugees will be allowed to settle in the United States during the 2021 fiscal year – only 1,000 of those will be able to come from El Salvador, Guatemala or Honduras.
Chief Critic
“The Trump administration has weaponized the pandemic to create a shadow immigration system at the border, one which circumvents critical legal protections for unaccompanied children under U.S. anti-trafficking and humanitarian laws,” Charanya Krishnaswami, the advocacy director for the Americas at Amnesty International USA told Forbes.
Further Reading
Migrant Children From Other Countries Are Being Expelled Into Mexico (New York Times)
Trump Cites Coronavirus as He Announces a Border Crackdown (New York Times)
State Department Announces Historically Low Number Of Refugee Admissions (Forbes)
Family Separation Policy Enacted Despite Proof Kids Could Lose Parents Permanently, House Finds (Forbes)
