Many immigration officials and lawmakers are criticizing President Barack Obama for classifying the surge of undocumented immigrants coming from Central America to the United States as an "urgent humanitarian situation."

Some blame the rumors of a shift to a more lenient immigration policy, which the U.S. government denies. The government further blames the overwhelming levels of violence across the border in allowing children to cross and remain in the U.S. despite their parents being in the country illegally. Republican lawmakers fear that this phenomenon suggests the administration is slowly moving towards a more lenient immigration policy.

Critics refer to a specific case in making their point: On May 18, 2013 a 10-year-old girl from El Salvador was caught being smuggled through the U.S.-Mexico border. She was taken into custody by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and was then turned over to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Later on, the child was delivered to her mother in Virginia. The mother is an illegal immigrant. U.S. District Court Judge Andrew S. Hanen pointed out that this has been the fourth case following the very same pattern over the last few weeks. He also accused the DHS of participating in a criminal conspiracy instead of enforcing the laws by delivering the minors to illegal immigrants who are equally undocumented.

Obama's two-year amnesty program for illegal immigrants is said to be the direct cause of this surge. Tens of thousands of children have been reportedly residing temporarily in holding pens, including warehouses that were originally used to house illegal immigrants. The two-year amnesty was intended to protect the illegal immigrants from being deported. However, it seems to have worked against the government, especially after extending it for another two years as border patrol is overwhelmed by the influx of children.