As the U.S. continues to panic over the influx of unaccompanied minors, mostly from Central America, illegally crossing the U.S. border, Mexico has reported the prevention of 9,622 children from doing the same act this year.

EFE reported that Deputy Government Secretary for Population, Migration and Religious Affairs Mercedes del Carmen Guillen Vicente announced the number during a conference hosted by the Mexican Senate on Tuesday. The conference was centered on U.S. immigration reform.

"As of this time, 44,409 foreigners have been returned and 9,622 unaccompanied children in this period, while the total in 2013 was 9,724," Guillen Vicente said.

According to the federal official, the increase of unaccompanied children fleeing to the U.S. is because many do not understand how the U.S. government deals with "temporary normalization" of immigration statuses. Guillen Vicente told conference attendees that traffickers know this and convince parents they know how to get their children to the U.S. safely, charging them thousands.

In order to fix the problem, Guillen Vicente recommended immigration reform, which she dubbed as "unquestionably necessary."

According to Bloomberg View, 18,754 unaccompanied minors tried to cross the border from Mexico in 2013. Mexican children are usually sent home within hours of being caught "by treaty." There is no treaty with Central American countries, however; apprehended unaccompanied minors from those countries are sent to the Department of Health and Human Services for an average of 30-45 days before being released.

Meanwhile, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson is trying to make it clear to Central American parents that unaccompanied minors are not granted special privileges after entering the U.S. illegally.

"I want to continue to emphasize to all those who are listening, including the parents of kids, parents that may be considering sending their kid from Central America, that this journey is a dangerous one, and at the end of it there is no free pass," Johnson said after touring a Border Patrol facility housing about 900 minors in Arizona Wednesday. "There is no permisos for your children to come to the United States."

Since October 2013, 47,000 children have been caught trying to cross the U.S. southwest border. It is expected that 60,000 minors, mostly Central Americans, will be caught at the border this year, 10 times more than in 2011, according to government estimates.

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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar

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