Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry has voiced his disapproval of President Barack Obama's request to Congress for $3.7 billion to tackle the influx of unaccompanied child migrants coming to the United States.
Republicans have called for the Obama administration to send the National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border to slow the influx of undocumented immigrants, but the Guard's responsibilities are limited.
Undocumented and unaccompanied youth have "varied and complex reasons" for migrating in droves from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and other nations. They move across the southern border with the assistance of coyotes and smugglers; these children hope to evade threats of rape and death that they routinely subjected to in their homeland. They reach the U.S., but many are caught; and those who are detained must submit to immigration proceedings without legal representation or guidance.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) receives tough criticism from the Latino community in regards to immigration and deportation policies. At the League of United Latino American Citizens (LULAC) annual national convention in Manhattan, ICE's San Antonio Field Office Director Enrique Lucero tried to clarify his agency's responsibilities during a session titled "Deportation Nation: Immigration Reform Crisis and Opportunity."
President Obama requested authority to deport more undocumented immigrant children last week, and immigrant rights groups are fighting back against the pending authorization.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, told Hispanics that comprehensive immigration reform will not come to fruition this summer. Reid placed blame on House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, for noting voting on an immigration reform bill within the House of Representatives.
Maria Hinojosa has covered the story of unaccompanied, undocumented minors since 1999, watching the challenging reality unfold. She told Latin Post the U.S. government has known about these children for over a decade — back when there were as few as 1,000 crossing unaccompanied each year. The numbers "didn't jump up to 90,000 overnight."
New York City became the first jurisdiction in the United States to provide free legal counsel to detained undocumented immigrations facing deportation. New York City's Council passed the $4.9 billion program known as the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) after a "successful" yearlong trial.
Maria Hinojosa, host and executive producer of NPR's "Latino USA" and the founder of Futuro Media Group, recently aired an episode of "Latino USA" entitled "Kids!" where she spoke with an anonymous whistleblower, using the name 'K', who shared their experience as an employee at a detention center.
House Democrats introduced the Vulnerable Immigrant Voice Act of 2014, legislation that would provide legal representation to unaccompanied minors and mentally disabled individuals during immigration proceedings.
