Immigration Reform News: Government to Open More Detention Centers After Surge of Unaccompanied Children
The Obama administration is preparing to house over 5,000 undocumented children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border last month, mainly in search of refuge following the spike of violence taking place in Central America.
Obama administration officials announced Monday that the government plans to open two shelters in Texas and one in California this month in response to the recent surge of unaccompanied children illegally entering the country. Federal authorities are also looking to add at least 1,400 more beds for the young immigrants, according to The New York Times.
Although the number of children crossing the southern border decreased earlier this year, the flow began to pick up in July. In total, border patrol agents apprehended 5,622 children, mostly from Central America, which is more than double the number stopped in November 2014.
In the wake of the resurgence of immigrant children, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell asked Pentagon officials to also prepare tentative plans to provide shelter for 5,000 more youths, just in case the numbers continue to rise.
The U.S. experienced an unprecedented influx of unaccompanied children illegally crossing the border in the summer of 2014. Back then, the administration was criticized for overcrowded Border Patrol stations, overworked agents and poorly arranged shelters. To avoid repeating that situation, officials are expanding shelters for the youths "out of an abundance of caution" to prevent disruptions to the "vital national security mission" of the Border Patrol, said Marsha Catron, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security.
Agency spokesman Mark Weber added that the Health Department is working with other agencies to "ensure an effective response to any changes in migration flows."
It's likely that more children are pouring into the U.S. due to the spike in crime in Central American countries like El Salvador, which experienced a 74 percent rise in homicides from last year, reports Think Progress. Young immigrants are also desperate to escape rampant gang violence in Honduras, which has become the murder capital of the world. Meanwhile, economic conditions have reportedly deteriorated in Guatemala.
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