2014 American immigration crisis

Surge in immigration along U.S. southern border December 2025 thumb|350px|Chart illustrating the number of people apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol on the U.S.–Mexican border who are, and are not Mexican nationals, from 2000 to 2017. Non-Mexicans arriving on the border are overwhelmingly Central American nationals. The 2014 American immigration crisis was a surge in unaccompanied children and women from the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA) seeking entrance to the United States in 2014. According to U.S. law, an unaccompanied alien child refers to a person under 18 years of age, who has no lawful immigration status in the U.S., and who does not have a legal guardian to provide physical custody and care.https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/uscode.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=6-USC-2020131692-1066548987&term_occur=1&term_src=title:6:chapter:1:subchapter:IV:part:E:section:279 unaccompanied alien child law.cornell.edu en 2018-03-21 Between 2013 and 2014, the number of unaccompanied children apprehended at the border increased nearly 80%, from 38,759 in fiscal year 2013 to 68,541 in fiscal year 2014.Robertson Lori Illegal Immigration Statistics https://www.factcheck.org/2018/06/illegal-immigration-statistics/ Fact Check factcheck.org 13 July 2019 2018-06-28 This influx in unaccompanied minor children has been attributed to a number of factors including the high rates of gang-related violent crime in the Northern Triangle;Lind Dara The child migrant crisis seems to be over. What happened? https://www.vox.com/2014/9/19/6433867/border-crisis-central-american-children-coming-over-why Vox 2014-09-19 2021-05-12 Violence, Development, and Migration Waves: Evidence from Central American child migrant apprehensions https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0094119021000371 Journal of Urban Economics en 103355 10.1016/j.jue.2021.103355 0094-1190 10419/170912 free Clemens Michael A. 124 236564697 the promulgation of false "permiso" rumors by smugglers;https://www.npr.org/2014/07/09/329848538/whats-causing-the-latest-immigration-crisis-a-brief-explainer What's Causing The Latest Immigration Crisis? A Brief Explainer NPR.org 9 July 2014 Greenblatt AlanOvercrowded, unsanitary conditions seen at immigrant detention centers https://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-texas-immigrant-children-20140618-story.html#page=2 LA Times June 18, 2014Under-age and on the move https://www.economist.com/briefing/2014/06/26/under-age-and-on-the-move 14 July 2019 The Economist June 26, 2014 a growing awareness of H.R.7311 (110th), a 2008 law that granted substantial protections from removal to unaccompanied children from countries that do not share a border with the US;Hulse Carl Immigrant Surge Rooted in Law to Curb Child Trafficking https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/08/us/immigrant-surge-rooted-in-law-to-curb-child-trafficking.html New York Times July 7, 2014THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN IN THE IMMIGRATION PROCESS https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/aclu_irp_legal_backgrounder_on_children_july_2014_final.pdf ACLU Cohen Tom Unintended consequences: 2008 anti-trafficking law contributes to border crisis https://www.cnn.com/2014/07/15/politics/immigration-unintended-consequences/index.html CNN July 16, 2014 and a recovering U.S. economy and labor market following the Great Recession.Warren Robert Surge in Immigration in 2014 and 2015? The Evidence Remains Illusory https://cmsny.org/publications/warren-immigration-surge-illusory/ Center for Migration Studies Many of the children had no parent/legal guardian available to provide care or physical custody and quickly overwhelmed local border patrols.6 U.S.C. § 279(g)(2) Background thumb|The Northern Triangle is composed of these three countries that had the most children leave in 2014: Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. thumb|Central America's Northern Triangle or the Northern Triangle of Central America (Sp: es Triangulo Norte De Centroamerica) is a region in Central America composed of three countries which are Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. These countries share a trijunction tripoint border area and are characterized with sharing similar original classical Central American culture, history, society and politicsFrom 1980 onwards, the number of immigrants from Central America arriving to the United States has grown substantially. However, most of the people fleeing Central America are those whose countries are plagued by corruption, poverty, and murder. The three countries from Central America with the highest numbers of migrants are Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Other immigrants from different countries in Central America have seen a moderate decrease from 2010 to 2013.https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/central-american-immigrants-united-states Central American Immigrants in the United States Nicole Ward Jeanne Batalova August 12, 2019 migrationpolicy.org For example, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, and Belize have not had as many immigrants as the other three leading countries in the time frame. The three leading countries are the bulk immigrants coming to the United States. Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala make up 85 percent of those who arrive to the United States since the 1980s.https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-04.pdf Census data www.census.gov 2010 2019-11-16 "In fiscal year (FY) 2016 alone, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intercepted nearly 46,900 unaccompanied children and more than 70,400 family units from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border." During the Cold War, the United States backed violent anti-Communist forces throughout Latin America.McSherry J. Patrice J. Patrice McSherry Esparza, Marcia Henry R. Huttenbach Daniel Feierstein State Violence and Genocide in Latin America: The Cold War Years (Critical Terrorism Studies) Chapter 5: "Industrial repression" and Operation Condor in Latin America 107 Routledge 2011 978-0-415-66457-8 https://www.routledge.com/State-Violence-and-Genocide-in-Latin-America-The-Cold-War-Years/Esparza-Huttenbach-Feierstein/p/book/9780415496377Blakeley Ruth 2009 State Terrorism and Neoliberalism: The North in the South http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415462402/ Routledge 22–23 978-0-415-68617-4 Academics claim that the violence and high murder rates in many of these countries is the direct legacy of the U.S. intervention on behalf of these anti-Communist forces stretching back into the 1950s with the Guatemalan coup d'état, which has shaped the contemporary refugee crisis.Kazdin Cole June 28, 2018 The Violence Central American Migrants Are Fleeing Was Stoked by the US https://www.vice.com/en/article/central-america-atrocities-caused-immigration-crisis/ Vice July 28, 2018 In 2014, the reason this crisis was internationally covered by media outlets, was due to the fact that most of the immigrants were children. Most of these children cross through the Guatemala-Mexico border. Most of these children also ride with other migrants atop a train called "La Bestia" (The Beast), which begins near the Guatemalan border, in Chiapas state, and goes to Mexico City. However, La Bestia has drawn international attention. This train route is the epicenter of mass extortion, mutilation, murder, robberies, rape, kidnapping, and sexual assault of Central American and other immigrants. Immigrants do not report these crimes in fear of being deported back to their native countries. If these immigrant children managed to survive La Bestia and the cartels in Mexico, they now need to find "coyotes" to smuggle them across the Mexican-American border.https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/06/05/318905712/riding-the-beast-across-mexico-to-the-u-s-border Riding 'The Beast' Across Mexico To The U.S. Border Wilson Sayre June 5, 2014 National Public Radio March 22, 2017 Most women and children from Central America simply crossed the Rio Grande and turned themselves in to the United States Border Patrol, relying on the belief, partly well founded,https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/08/us/immigrant-surge-rooted-in-law-to-curb-child-trafficking.html Immigrant Surge Rooted in Law to Curb Child Trafficking Carl Hulse July 9, 2014 New York Times Carl Hulse that United States immigration and refugee law made special provision for children. The large number of migrants entitled to hearings, counsel, and placement overwhelmed U.S. immigration courts and other government facilities. Causes left|thumb|Immigrants jumping on "La Bestia" that will take them to the Mexican-American border Synopsis The 2014 uptick in immigration was largely due to a surge in arrivals of Unaccompanied Minor Children (UAC's), predominately from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador (the Northern Triangle of Central America). Between 2013 and 2014, the number of unaccompanied children apprehended at the border increased nearly 80%, from 38,759 in fiscal year 2013 to 68,541 in fiscal year 2014. This influx in unaccompanied minor children has been attributed to a number of factors including the high rates of gang-related violent crime in the Northern Triangle; the promulgation of false "permiso" rumors by smugglers; the growing awareness of H.R.7311 (110th), a 2008 law that granted substantial protections from removal to unaccompanied children from countries that do not share a border with the US; and a recovering U.S. economy and labor market following the Great Recession. Societal Causes In a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees study of approximately 400 unaccompanied children from Mexico and Central America, 58 percent of UAC's reported being motivated by safety concerns back home, a nearly 450% increase over the 13 percent of Mexican children that reported similar motivations in a 2006 study.Nazario Sonia https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/opinion/sunday/a-refugee-crisis-not-an-immigration-crisis.html?_r=0 The Children of the Drug Wars New York Times July 11, 2014https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/03/07/immi-m07.html US orders 7,700 children deported without court hearings - World Socialist Web Site Martin Patrick wsws.org 7 March 2015 2017-04-10https://bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/us-child-deportations/ Child Deportations: How Many Minors Does the U.S. Actually Send Home? Bipartisan Policy Center Bipartisan Policy Center en-US 2017-04-10 August 7, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210807123809/https://bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/us-child-deportations/ dead Beginning in the early 2000s, the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador experienced an increase in violent crime that would continue for the next decade. Although the homicide rates in all three countries had been on the decline since 2011, the murder rates El Salvador and Honduras remained among the highest in the world. In early 2014, El Salvador experienced another uptick in violence after a gang truce between MS-13 and Barrio 18 began to collapse. Many of the unaccompanied children reported being under the false impression that the Obama Administration was granting permits ("permisos") to children with family members in the US, as long as they arrived by June 2014. It was later determined that these rumors, along with similar rumors about permisos for women who arrived with children, were being promulgated by human smugglers. While the rumors were false, there were in fact a number of policies in place that offered protection from removal to unaccompanied children from Central America. For women, as crime increased in the last decade, sexual assault and rape have become a prevalent issue in the Northern Triangle as well. In 2014, 40 percent of the people fleeing were women compared to a low 27 percent in recent times. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women showed that in July 2014, the violent death of women in Honduras shot up at an alarming rate of 263% from 2005 to 2013, fueling the migration of women. In 2013, 95% of the cases of these women go unsolved and women leaving Honduras also face the same risks on their journey.https://cgrs.uchastings.edu/talking_points_and_stories Thousands of Girls and Women are Fleeing Rape, Sexual Violence and Torture in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala UC Hastings Center for Gender and Refugee Studies cgrs.uchastings.edu 2017-04-10 Organized crime and drug-related violence in these countries have also increased danger for their citizens. Since the 1980s, Colombian smugglers have used Central America, specifically Honduras, as a corridor to the United States.Rosenberg Mark B. 1988 Narcos and Politicos: The Politics of Drug Trafficking in Honduras 165984 Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs 30 2/3 143–165 10.2307/165984 Children in schools are forced to smuggle drugs.October 2021 Drug trafficking has taken over these countries! as waves of gangsters were deported from the United States in the 90s. Gangs like MS-13 have grown in size and power. Young children are the most vulnerable as gangsters will offer the choice of working for them or leaving.October 2021 The presence of Mexican cartels has been a feature of illegal drug trade in Guatemala, where law enforcement presence is sparse and there is plenty of open land where planes smuggling cocaine can easily land.https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R42580.html#_Toc395622954 Guatemala: Political and Socioeconomic Conditions and U.S. Relations www.everycrsreport.com In the Northern Triangle (Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador), studies have shown that 19 out of 20 murders will not result in prosecution.https://2009-2017.state.gov/p/wha/rt/strat/action/index.htm#2 Lines of Action 2017-07-05 In addition to violence and crime, food shortages and malnutrition continue to plague the region. It is estimated that half of Guatemalan children are chronically malnourished, resulting in stunted growth and eventually death. While these countries have some of the greatest potential for economic growth, inequality and general incompetency by the government has left these issues either underserved or unaddressed completely.https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2009/08/27/a-national-shame A national shame 2009-08-27 The Economist 2019-05-21 0013-0613 Governmental Causes To start the asylum process, an immigrant child must fill out and apply at their consulate with a N-400 form to apply for naturalization, which includes a processing fee and civics test.2024-04-02 Application for Naturalization https://www.uscis.gov/n-400 2024-05-08 www.uscis.gov en After completing processing interviews to determine priority designation, a child undergoing American naturalization must complete form DS-260 in order to apply for an immigrant visa and/or alien registration.U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs DS-260 IV Application August 2019 U.S. Department of State IV Washington D.C. en By the time the naturalization process has been completed it will have taken on average 18–24 months, though in the last 5 years this has been brought down to an average of 10.2 months.Team ImmigrationHelp News Petts Jonathan 2023-02-17 How Long Does It Take USCIS To Process Form N-400 for Citizenship Applications? https://immigrationhelp.org/news/us-citizenship-processing-time 2024-05-08 Immigration Help en The William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act,Berman Howard December 9, 2008 H.R.7311 - William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 https://www.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/house-bill/7311/text May 8, 2024 Congress.gov a 2008 law intended to protect victims of human trafficking, prevented the immediate deportation of unaccompanied children from Central America. In addition to requiring that the government provide each child with legal representation and hold hearings on their case, the law also requires that children be released to family members or cared for by the Office of Refugee Resettlement in the "least restrictive" accommodations possible while their case winds through the courts. The large backlog of cases meant many children would wait several years before receiving their first hearing, and many more before their cases were fully adjudicated, during which they would be allowed to remain in the United States.Greenblatt Alan 9 July 2014 What's Causing The Latest Immigration Crisis? A Brief Explainer https://www.npr.org/2014/07/09/329848538/whats-causing-the-latest-immigration-crisis-a-brief-explainer 13 July 2019 NPRhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Nkl_zJEd-M Facts behind U.S. immigration crisis en 2024-05-08 www.youtube.com The understanding that they would be allowed to remain in the U.S. indefinitely prompted more children to follow. It has also been suggested that some of the new arrivals incorrectly believed that they would be allowed to apply for DACA, a 2012 policy that offers protection from deportation for certain undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. Response From the government On June 26, 2014, Obama said that parents from Central America shouldn't send their children, with his reasoning being that they could be victims of human trafficking or injure themselves while making the journey.https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/obama-warns-central-americans-send-children-borders/story?id=24320063 Obama Warns Central Americans: 'Do Not Send Your Children To The Borders' ABC News June 26, 2014https://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-to-central-americans-do-not-send-your-children-to-the-border/ Obama to Central Americans: "Do not send your children to the border" CBS News June 27, 2014 On July 9, 2014, a hearing on the crisis was held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Craig Fugate, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, testified, "We are talking about large numbers of children, without their parents, who have arrived at our border—hungry, thirsty, exhausted, scared and vulnerable".https://www.dhs.gov/news/2014/07/09/written-testimony-fema-cbp-and-ice-senate-committee-homeland-security-and Written testimony of FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske, and ICE Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Thomas Winkowski for a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing titled "Challenges at the Border: Examining the Causes, Consequences, and Responses to the Rise in Apprehensions at the Southern Border" July 9, 2014 U.S. Department of Homeland Securityhttp://www.hsgac.senate.gov/hearings/challenges-at-the-border-examining-the-causes-consequences-and-responses-to-the-rise-in-apprehensions-at-the-southern-border Challenges at the Border: Examining the Causes, Consequences, and Responses to the Rise in Apprehensions at the Southern Border July 9, 2014 hsgac.senate.gov United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs July 10, 2014 Our border security system has been overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of these children and families. Senator Dianne Feinstein compared the crisis to the American refusal to accept Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany aboard the MS St. Louis.https://www.boston.com/news/nation/2014/07/10/obama-challenges-perry-rally-gop-around-border-plan/Z0HQoZpNXAVSJP45lHiFkI/story.html https://web.archive.org/web/20140713032953/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/2014/07/10/obama-challenges-perry-rally-gop-around-border-plan/Z0HQoZpNXAVSJP45lHiFkI/story.html dead July 13, 2014 Obama Challenges Perry to Rally GOP Around Border Plan July 15, 2014 President Obama's request for additional funds was met in both houses of Congress by proposals to modify or eliminate the rights granted by the 2008 reauthorization of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/11/us/gop-pushes-back-on-approving-border-funds.html G.O.P. Pushes Back on Approving Border Funds Ashley Parker July 10, 2014 New York Times July 11, 2014 thumb|CBP Processing Unaccompanied Children on the South Texas Border in 2014 As most unaccompanied children from Central America do not attempt to avoid capture but turn themselves into the Border Patrol after entering the United States, they usually cross the Rio Grande into Texas. The large number of children overwhelmed facilities in Texas in summer 2014 and some of the women and children were transferred to INS facilities in California. In most instances this occurred without incident, but in Murrieta, California, on July 1, 2014, buses carrying immigrants to a Border Patrol facility were blocked by flag-waving protesters.https://www.foxnews.com/us/protests-turn-back-buses-carrying-illegal-immigrant-children/ Protests turn back buses carrying illegal immigrant children July 2, 2014 July 10, 2014 Fox News Associated Press stop illegal immigration, illegals out! On July 15, 2014, in Oracle, Arizona, pro and con demonstrators faced off regarding possible use of a local facility to house immigrant children. The location of the shelters being used is confidential, but a local law enforcement officer had informed the community of the planned use of the facility.http://www.azfamily.com/news/Residents-of-Oracle-plan-blocking-immigrants-267166101.html Arizona protesters hope to stop immigrant transfer Astrid Galvan July 15, 2014 July 17, 2014 Azfamily.com Associated Press The U.S. Department of Justice reported in June 2014 that it will provide around 100 lawyers and paralegals for the rising number of children coming to the United States without parents or relatives. Under this program, the federal government will issue $2 million in grants to compensate lawyers and paralegals representing unaccompanied children.https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/07/us/us-to-provide-lawyers-for-children-facing-deportation.html Youths Facing Deportation to Be Given Legal Counsel Semple Kirk 6 June 2014 New York Times 7 June 2014 Attorney General Eric Holder stated, "We're taking a historic step to strengthen our justice system and protect the rights of the most vulnerable members of society". The Obama administration estimated roughly 60,000 unaccompanied children would come across the border to the United States in 2014.https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/06/06/obama-immigration-lawyers-children-border/10060725/ Obama to provide legal aid to border-crossing children Gomez Alan 6 June 2014 USA Today 7 June 2014 On July 18, 2014, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick offered one of two locations to the federal government as temporary shelters for up to 1,000 children. One was Camp Edwards, in Bourne on Cape Cod; the other was Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee. Governor Patrick explained, "Before a facility opens here, the Commonwealth will sign an MOU with the federal government to ensure that a municipality hosting the facility has input on the circumstances of being a host location."http://www.mass.gov/governor/pressoffice/speeches/statement-on-sheltering-of-unaccompanied-minors-in-ma.html 07.18.14 Governor Patrick's Statement on Sheltering of Unaccompanied Minors in Massachusetts mass.gov/governor Mass.gov 22 July 2014 On July 23, 2014, Senator Barbara Mikulski introduced the bill Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2014 (S. 2648; 113th Congress), a bill that would appropriate supplemental funds for FY2014 to specified federal agencies and programs to respond to the increased apprehensions of unaccompanied minors along the southwestern border, fight wildfires, and support Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile defense system.https://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/2648 S. 2648 - Summary 31 July 2014 United States Congress 31 July 2014 The bill would provide $2.7 billion in supplemental funding.https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/213948-house-gop-delays-border-bill-vote/ House cancels border vote Marcos Cristina 31 July 2014 The Hill 31 July 2014 On July 28, 2014, President Barack Obama released a statement of administration policy in support of the bill, urging "Congress to act swiftly to pass the bill to allow a timely and effective response to these pressing needs."https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/legislative/sap/113/saps2648s_20140728.pdf Statement of Administration Policy on S. 2648 28 July 2014 Executive Office of the President 31 July 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20170122210045/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/legislative/sap/113/saps2648s_20140728.pdf 2017-01-22 live On July 29, 2014, Rep. Hal Rogers introduced the bill "Making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014 (H.R. 5230; 113th Congress)" (also known as the "Secure the Southwest Border Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2014" and the "Secure the Southwest Border Act of 2014") into the United States House of Representatives.https://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/5230 H.R. 5230 - Summary United States Congress 31 July 2014 H.R. 5230 would provide supplemental FY2014 appropriations to several federal agencies for expenses related to the rise in unaccompanied alien children and alien adults accompanied by an alien minor at the southwest border. The bill would also change the procedures for screening and processing unaccompanied alien children who arrive at the border from certain countries. H.R. 5230 would provide $659 million in supplemental funding. On July 30, 2014, President Barack Obama released a statement of administration policy stating that "his senior advisors would recommend he veto the bill" if it were presented to him for his signature.https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/legislative/sap/113/saphr5230r_20140730.pdf Statement of Administration Police on H.R. 5230 30 July 2014 Executive Office of the President 31 July 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20170122210044/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/legislative/sap/113/saphr5230r_20140730.pdf 2017-01-22 live The House was scheduled to vote on the bill on July 31, 2014, but the Republican leadership canceled the vote because it did not have enough votes to pass H.R. 5230 at that time. The Department of Health and Human Services had opened three temporary shelters for children at military bases in Texas, Oklahoma, and California, but the sites were closed in August 2014 as the flow of migrant children declined and the capacity of permanent centers to house children was expanded.https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/05/us/us-to-close-3-emergency-shelters-used-for-migrant-children.html?ref=us U.S. to Shut 3 Interim Shelters Housing Immigrant Children Shear Michael New York Times 4 August 2014 5 August 2014 However, the new centers, such as the one in Artesia, New Mexico, may not offer facilities compatible with due process.https://www.aclu.org/immigrants-rights/mspc-v-johnson-declarations M.S.P.C. v. Johnson - Declarations August 31, 2014 ACLU a host of procedural obstacles for asylum applicants August 24, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140824014529/https://www.aclu.org/immigrants-rights/mspc-v-johnson-declarations dead After a lawsuit was filed by the ACLU about conditions at Artesia conditions there showed marked improvement.https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/06/us/in-remote-detention-center-a-battle-on-fast-deportations.html In Remote Detention Center, a Battle on Fast Deportations Julia Preston September 5, 2014 The New York Times September 7, 2014 In January 2014 the Department of Homeland Security sought a contractor to manage and transport approximately 65,000 Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) "ages infant to 17 years of age".https://www.fbo.gov/utils/view?id=3bd57ba6938ac96c650e51a1e175525d Escort Services for Unaccompanied Alien Children Department of Homeland Security FedBizOpps.gov 17 July 2014 The Department of Health and Human Services stated in its "Budget in Brief" that the expected annual number of arriving UAC had increased from 6,560 to an estimated 60,000 for fiscal year 2014,https://www.hhs.gov/budget/fy2015/fy-2015-budget-in-brief.pdf Budget in Brief Department of Health and Human Services https://web.archive.org/web/20140723144330/http://www.hhs.gov/budget/fy2015/fy-2015-budget-in-brief.pdf 23 July 2014 17 July 2014 and the Government anticipated awarding a five-year contract to deal with them. In October 2014, immigrant rights groups filed Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA") litigation to compel the release of documents regarding the use of the expedited removal process against families with children, including those detained at the family detention center in Artesia, New Mexico. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.http://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/newsroom/release/immigrant-rights-advocates-sue-reveal-policies-and-procedures-artesia-family-detent Immigrant Rights Advocates Sue to Reveal Policies and Procedures at Artesia Family Detention Facility American Immigration Council 2014-11-20 https://web.archive.org/web/20141129072432/http://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/newsroom/release/immigrant-rights-advocates-sue-reveal-policies-and-procedures-artesia-family-detent 2014-11-29 The provisions of H.R. 7311, William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, signed into law by George W. Bush give substantial rightshttps://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/aclu_irp_legal_backgrounder_on_children_july_2014_final.pdf Rights of Children in the Immigration Process July 2014 aclu.org ACLU Immigrant Rights' Project July 9, 2014 and protection to unaccompanied children from countries which do not have a common border with the United States. This made expeditious deportation of the large number of children from Central America difficult and expensive, prompting a call by President Barack Obama for an emergency appropriation of nearly $4 billionhttps://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/09/us/obama-seeks-billions-for-children-immigration-crisis.html Obama Asks for $3.7 Billion to Aid Border Michael D. Shear July 8, 2014 New York Times July 9, 2014 Jeremy W. Peters and resulted in discussions on how to interpret or revise the 2008 law in order to expedite handling large numbers of unaccompanied children. In November 2017, the Trump administration ended the Central American Minors Program which allowed eligible minors from the Northern Triangle to apply for the refugee resettlement or parole in the United States, thereby limiting the flow of Central Americans to the United States.https://www.uscis.gov/CAM In-Country Refugee/Parole Processing for Minors in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala (Central American Minors – CAM) USCIS 2018-03-21 enhttps://www.cnn.com/2017/08/16/politics/trump-ending-central-american-minors-program/index.html DHS ends program for Central American minors Tal Kopan CNN 2018-03-21 U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America While the U.S. had numerous domestic policies for dealing with the massive rise in immigration, on July 8, 2014 President Obama also requested funding for "the repatriation and reintegration of migrants to countries in Central America and to address the root causes of migration from these countries." This announcement was the start of a long term U.S. plan to address three "areas of action": security, governance, and prosperity.https://2009-2017.state.gov/p/wha/rt/strat/index.htm U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America 2009-2017.state.gov Congress has so far granted $1.4 billion contingent on these Central American countries meeting security, corruption, and human rights requirements to receive assistance. When funding was first appropriated for these countries, funding was split fairly evenly between addressing economic and civil concerns and "rule of law" concerns regarding police and judicial institutions. So far none of these countries have met all of the legislative requirements to receive all of the funding allotted to them.Meyer Peter https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R44812.pdf U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America: Policy Issues for Congress Congressional Research Service 2019-11-16 In a statement made on the inauguration of Jimmy Morales as the President of Guatemala, the Obama administration addressed certain criteria that the Northern Triangle countries (Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala) would be expected to uphold in order to receive assistance from the United States. These criteria were: Combat corruption and strengthen public institutions, improve civilian jurisdiction and counter activities of criminal organizations, protect human rights, support programs to promote equitable growth, implement effective civil society consultations, and increase government revenues. These criteria have reflected long-standing obstacles for prosperity in these countries, particularly those relating to equality, human rights, and collecting government revenues needed to fund police.https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/01/15/fact-sheet-united-states-and-central-america-honoring-our-commitments whitehouse.gov FACT SHEET: The United States and Central America: Honoring Our Commitments National Archives January 14, 2016 While funding for these efforts has been fairly consistent the past two years, the FY2018 budget proposed by President Trump would cut aid to these countries by roughly 30%. It is hard to know what the full implications of this cut to funding would be, but experts have claimed that it would most likely result in backsliding of any progress made in the governance of these countries. Detention centers thumb|right|Unaccompanied minors held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention centers were reported overcrowding in the summer of 2014.https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/19/us/border-centers-struggle-to-handle-onslaught-of-children-crossers.html Border Centers Struggle to Handle Onslaught of Young Migrants New York Times June 18, 2014https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/06/13/migrant-children-housing-conditions/10402609/ Detention centers overflow with kids crossing border USA Today June 13, 2014 One cause of the influx of immigrants with children was word of mouth in Central America that families with children were not detained due to lack of facilities. Detention centers with facilities for families with children were built in Artesia, New Mexico, a temporary site that closed in December 2014; one in Dilley, Texas, that is managed by Corrections Corporation of America and located across 50 acres with a capacity of 2,400 migrants; Karnes City, Texas, with a capacity of 530 people; and a small facility in Berks County, Pennsylvania. The facility in Dilley includes barrack-style housing, a school, a medical clinic, and other facilities. However, migrants in the detention centers were refused bond in order to deter other migrants. In February 2015, a federal court, in a case under appeal, forbade use of deterrence of others as a consideration in refusing bond. Jeh Johnson, Secretary of Homeland Security issued new regulations easing requirements for bonding out reducing the average stay in the facility to 22 days, and some detainees who have been detained 6 months or longer have been released. Johnson believes maintaining some capacity to detain families is necessary to maintain deterrence.https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/15/us/texas-detention-center-takes-toll-on-immigrants-languishing-there.html Hope and Despair as Families Languish in Texas Immigration Centers Julia Preston June 14, 2015 The New York Times June 15, 2015 From the public Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus called for humane measures with respect to families and children fleeing violence in Central America and continued efforts to refine administrative policy with respect to the millions of undocumented immigrants living and working in the United States.https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/17/us/politics/border-crisis-casts-shadow-over-obamas-immigration-plan.html Border Crisis Casts Shadow Over Obama's Immigration Plan Julie Hirschfeld Davis July 16, 2014 The New York Times July 17, 2014 Michael D. Shear the crisis in the Rio Grande Valley along the border has ballooned into round-the-clock cable television fare and constant fodder for Mr. Obama's opponents in Congress. A 2014 Mother Jones article suggested that many of the unaccompanied children were attempting to escape abusive situations.https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/06/child-migrants-surge-unaccompanied-central-america 70,000 Kids Will Show Up Alone at Our Border This Year. What Happens to Them? Gordon Ian 2014 Mother Jones 2014-06-21 Analysis of Border Patrol statistics by the Director of the Regional Security Policy Program at the Washington Office on Latin America shows a correlation between gang-relatedhttp://www.wola.org/publications/mexicos_other_border New WOLA report on Mexico's Southern Border - Washington Office on Latin America 17 June 2014 killing of children in Central America, particularly San Pedro Sula in Honduras, and the surge in migration.https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/10/world/americas/fleeing-gangs-children-head-to-us-border.html Fleeing Gangs, Children Head to U.S. Border Frances Robles The New York Times 10 July 2014 July 10, 2014 According to the Immigrant Rights' Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR),(usually called the immigration courts), within the United States Department of Justice each have statutory responsibilities with respect to unaccompanied children from Central America. The ACLU believes the stipulated settlement in Flores v. Meese, which is a United States District Court for the Central District of California decision which sets out a nationwide policy concerning federal detention of any minor,https://www.aclu.org/files/pdfs/immigrants/flores_v_meese_agreement.pdf Flores v. Meese - Stipulated Settlement Agreement August 12, 1996 aclu.org ACLU July 9, 2014 also applies. From migrants' home countries While acknowledging suggestions that immigration reform may have helped prompt the influx of child migrants, the Obama administration has also focused attention on measures to be taken by the migrants' home countries to try to stop the flow. In July 2014, President Obama met with the presidents of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras to seek their cooperation in reducing migration of children and expediting returns. In the summer of 2014, Mexico took actions to keep migrants from using freight trains ("La Bestia") to travel through Mexico.http://migration.ucdavis.edu/mn/more.php?id=3929 Children, Obama Delays Action Migration News 12 December 2014http://www.business-of-migration.com/migration-today/contemporary-recent-migration-travel/ Migrant Travel Today Migration as a Travel Business Migrants on 'La Bestia' train.https://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-mexico-migrants-crackdown-20140907-story.html#page=1 Mexico crackdown keeps migrants off trains known as 'La Bestia' Tracey Wilkenson September 7, 2014 Los Angeles Times December 12, 2014 As of February 2015, the number of unaccompanied minors apprehended at the U.S. border, 12,509, during the previous 5 months had dropped while the number deported by Mexico to their home countries, 3,819, had risen by 56% year on year from the same period in fiscal year 2014. Conditions in Honduras had improved with a drop of about 20% in the homicide rate from 2012 to 2014.http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/04/28/child-migrants-border/ With help from Mexico, number of child migrants crossing U.S. border falls Ana Gonzalez-Barrera and Jens Manuel Krogstad April 28, 2015 FactTank May 3, 2015 Pew Charitable Trust U.S. officials apprehended 12,509 unaccompanied children at the U.S.-Mexico border in the first five months of the fiscal year that began in October, down from 21,403 over the same time period a year ago. From migrants Since the placement of restrictions on illegal immigration through policies pursued by the Trump administration, the movement of people from Central America to the United States has shifted to Mexico. The role of Mexico as a transit country between the Northern Triangle and the United States has transformed since the 2016 Presidential election with more people applying for asylum in Mexico than in the U.S. According to a Reuters report, "Mexican asylum data and testimony from migrants in Tenosique suggest that although fewer Central Americans are trying to enter the United States, plenty are still fleeing their poor, violent home countries, with many deciding to stay longer in Mexico, which has traditionally been a transit country."https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-central-america/spooked-by-trump-central-american-immigrants-turn-to-mexico-idUSKBN1811BA Spooked by Trump, Central American immigrants turn to Mexico May 5, 2017 Reuters 2018-03-21 Aftermath After the 2014 immigration crisis in America, the influx of immigrants from Central America to the United States continued but in lower proportions. Over the early 2010s America and Mexico presented consistent pushback to all immigrants from Central America. America and Mexico both also showed no immediate immigration policy changes even with the crisis. The United States and Mexico have militarized borders and dissuaded immigrants from making the journey as of 2014. Central American families and children kept coming to borders seeking asylum. In the aftermath, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detention of Central American people in the Mexican-American borders increased over 100 percent from late 2015 to early 2016 compared the year before. Also, United States government ordered for the deportation in 7,700 in 2014 to 2015 without court hearings. There were 62,000 children still awaiting legal proceedings after 2014. In most cases, 94 percent of these children do not have attorneys to represent them in court. People from the Northern Triangle continued to immigrate despite the militarization of the CBP, increase in deportations, and the dangerous journey because their homes remain unsafe. Settlement in the United States +Grants of Asylum in the United States by countryCountryFY 2014FY2015FY2016El Salvador1831,8601,404Guatemala3111,7001,317Honduras891,099885Source: DHS, 2016 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, Table 17. During the 2011-2015 period, most migrants from Central America settled in California, followed by Texas and Florida.https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-04.pdf The Hispanic Population: 2010 Sharon R. Ennis Merarys Ríos-Vargas Nora G. Albert May 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110531064137/http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-04.pdf 2011-05-31 According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, "In the 2011-15 period, the top four counties with Central American immigrants were Los Angeles County in California, Harris County in Texas, Miami-Dade County in Florida, and Prince George's County in Maryland", which comprise approximately 30% percent of the total Central American immigrant population in the United States for this period.Zong, Jie, and Jeanne Balatova. "Central American Immigrants in the United States." Migration Policy Institute. September 2, 15. Accessed February 21, 2017. http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/central-american-immigrants-united-states According to U.S. Census data from 2010, out of the top 10 cities where Guatemalan Americans reside in the United States, three cities fall in California: Los Angeles, San Francisco/Oakland/Fremont, and Riverside/San Bernardino/Ontario. Salvadoran Americans in the United States were in the highest concentrations in Los Angeles, Houston and New York in 2010, with 7 out of the top 25 cities with Salvadoran Americans falling in California. In 2011, Honduran Americans in the United States were populated in the highest proportions in Florida, Texas, and New York.http://www.pewhispanic.org/2013/06/19/hispanics-of-honduran-origin-in-the-united-states-2011/ Hispanics of Honduran Origin in the United States, 2011 2013-06-19 Pew Research Center's Hispanic Trends Project 2018-03-21 en-US After arriving in the United States, these migrants fall into the legal category of undocumented aliens, which puts them at the risk of deportation.https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/immigration-terms-and-definitions-involving-aliens Immigration Terms and Definitions Involving Aliens Internal Revenue Service irs.gov en 2018-03-21 Deportation to their home country poses further problems for Central Americans, as the NCTA countries are not prepared to deal with their return due to inadequacies in the physical and political infrastructure.https://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/central-america/el-salvador/undocumented-migration-northern-triangle-central-america Undocumented Migration from the Northern Triangle of Central America 2017-10-25 Crisis Group 2018-03-21 en Resources Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) provides free legal aid to unaccompanied minors in immigration proceedings across the U.S. KIND was founded in October 2008 by Angelina Jolie in a collaboration with the Microsoft Corporation and 25 leading U.S. law firms.October 18, 2008 Angelina Jolie Speaks Passionately About Refugees and Children People https://people.com/celebrity/angelina-jolie-speaks-passionately-about-refugees-children/ August 29, 2013 In addition to smaller organizations focused on assisting Central Americans in the United States, broader international organizations such as UNICEF, International Rescue Committee, Amnesty International also provide advocacy and support for Central Americans migrating to the U.S.https://www.amnesty.org/en/get-involved/take-action/unrecognized-deep-refugee-crisis-in-central-america/ Protect Central American refugees from brutal violence amnesty.org en 2018-03-21https://www.unicefusa.org/mission/emergencies/child-refugees/central-american-child-migrants Central American Child Migrants UNICEF USA 2018-03-21 en Other issues Scamming of relatives On July 23, 2013, The New York Times reported that con artists had fraudulently obtained confidential information about child immigrants held at military bases in Oklahoma and Texas and had been contacting the children's parents asking for money to facilitate release of the children and reunification with their family. No money is actually required. The matter was reported to be under investigation by the FBI.https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/24/world/americas/swindles-target-kin-of-migrants.html Swindlers Target Kin of Migrants Frances Robles July 23, 2014 the New York Times July 24, 2014 Trafficking and abuse of migrant children resettled by federal officials In July 2015, a federal indictment revealed a forced-labor ring operating on an egg farm near Marion, Ohio, in which teenagers from Guatemala were being lured with promises of education and then forced to work 12-hour days, six or seven days a week. The teens lived in squalid trailers, were denied their paychecks and threatened with death if they sought help.http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/07/13/Portman-demands-child-smuggling-answers.html Portman demands answers on teen-smuggling ring The Columbus Dispatch 2016-01-31 At least half a dozen of the teenagers found working on the farm had been in the custody of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is charged with the processing, treatment, and placement of unaccompanied migrant children pending the resolution of immigration proceedings. Government officials placed the teens with human traffickers who posed as relatives and friends. Concerns that the Ohio case was indicative of larger, systemic problems led to a Senate inquiry into how human traffickers successfully exploited the federal resettlement processes.https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-ohio-immigrant-sponsor-20151115-story.html Is Ohio case of migrant youth trafficking evidence of a 'systemic problem'? Los Angeles Times 15 November 2015 2016-01-31 The results of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations' probe were released on January 26, 2016. Led by Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), the committee found that preventable mistakes were made in the Ohio case. HHS officials failed to run background checks on the sponsors and any secondary caregivers in the households, site visits to the sponsors' homes were not conducted, and in one instance a sponsor was permitted to prevent a child-welfare case worker from visiting with one of the victims.http://www.hsgac.senate.gov/subcommittees/investigations/hearings/adequacy-of-the-department-of-health-and-human-services-efforts-to-protect-unaccompanied-alien-children-from-human-trafficking Majority and Minority Staff Report - Protecting Unaccompanied Alien Children from Trafficking and Other Abuses: The Role of the Office of Refugee Resettlement hsgac.senate.gov 2016-01-31 System-wide, the Senate inquiry found similar, serious gaps including weak processes for verifying relationships between children and sponsors, failure to perform background checks, lack of home visits and home studies, and the placement of children without meeting sponsors in person. Other key deficiencies in HHS policies and procedures were an inability to detect when a sponsor is seeking custody of multiple unrelated children and allowing sponsors to deny HHS from providing post-release services to children and barring contact between HHS care providers and the children.https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/obama-administration-placed-children-with-human-traffickers-report-says/2016/01/28/39465050-c542-11e5-9693-933a4d31bcc8_story.html Obama administration placed children with human traffickers, report says Washington Post January 28, 2016https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/us/politics/us-placed-immigrant-children-with-traffickers-report-says.html U.S. Placed Immigrant Children With Traffickers, Report Says New York Times January 28, 2016 Ultimately, the inquiry concluded that the policies for placing unaccompanied minors exposed them to a risk of trafficking and other abuse at the hands of government-approved sponsors. The Subcommittee identified more than 10 other cases of post-placement trafficking beyond the Ohio case and 15 additional cases with "serious trafficking indicators." It is unclear how many other unaccompanied minors, placed by HHS, have been victims of trafficking or other abuses. HHS maintains no standardized mechanism of tracking trafficking or abuse cases. However, the findings of the Senate investigation echoed results of an independent investigation by the Associated Press (AP) in which the AP found more than two dozen children who had been placed with sponsors and subjected to sexual abuse, starvation, labor trafficking, or severe abuse and neglect.http://bigstory.ap.org/article/cc07b82ec58145cca37d6ff952f334c1/ap-investigation-feds-failures-imperil-migrant-children AP INVESTIGATION: Feds' failures imperil migrant children The Big Story en-US 2016-01-31 February 1, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160201005801/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/cc07b82ec58145cca37d6ff952f334c1/ap-investigation-feds-failures-imperil-migrant-children dead On January 25, 2016, the AP reported that in response to surges in the number of unaccompanied minors arriving in the U.S. in the past three years, government officials weakened safety standards related to the transfer of children from government shelters into sponsors' homes and the vetting of sponsors. Specifically, the government stopped fingerprinting most adults seeking to claim the children. In April 2014, the Office of Refugee Resettlement also stopped requiring original copies of birth certificates to prove the identity of most sponsors and later it decided not to complete forms that request sponsors' personal and identifying information before sending many of the children to sponsors' homes. Although the number of unaccompanied youth arriving from Central America declined significantly in 2015, with a 49% drop in the first 8 months of the year when compared to that same period in 2014, the number of young migrants is again on the rise.https://fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/R43599.pdf Unaccompanied Alien Children: An Overview Kandel William August 18, 2015 Congressional Research Service HHS officials stated that they are strengthening their policies and procedures for placing children and have signed a contract to open more shelters; however, they remain under pressure from the Senate Subcommittee and advocates to both account for documented failings and address their causes. Refugees vs. immigrants terminology In the discussion on the influx of Central Americans into the United States the terms "refugee" and "immigrant" have been used interchangeably or synonymously to represent Central Americans entering the country, despite the different legal ramifications of the two terms. The difference in the usage of these terms comes from the different perspectives on the factors motivating movement to the United States, with "push" factors being associated with the terminology of "refugee" and "pull" factors being associated with the terminology of "immigrant". According to Karen Musalo and Eunice Lee, For those adopting the "push" factor outlook, the crisis is humanitarian one, reflecting human rights violations and deprivations in the region, and the protection needs of refugees (UNHCR 2015b; UNHCR 2014; Musalo et al. 2015) While acknowledging that reasons for migration may be mixed, this view recognizes the seriousness of regional refugee protection needs. For those focusing on "pull" factors, the crisis has its roots in border enforcement policies that were perceived as lax by potential migrants, and that thereby acted as an inducement to migration (Harding 2014; Navarette, Jr. 2014)Musalo Karen Lee Eunice 2017-03-01 Seeking a Rational Approach to a Regional Refugee Crisis: Lessons from the Summer 2014 "Surge" of Central American Women and Children at the US-Mexico Border https://doaj.org/ Journal on Migration and Human Security en 5 1 137–179 2330-2488 10.1177/233150241700500108 free subscription See also Central American migrant caravans Sin Nombre (2009 film) Nicaraguan exceptionalism References Further reading "The GOP's Completely Incoherent Stance on the Border Crisis" blog commentary by Zoë Carpenter on The Nation "Gov. Perry: Once and for all, secure the border" oped by Governor Rick Perry in USA Today July 9, 2014 "President Obama on Unaccompanied Immigrant Children" 25-minute video of press conference in Dallas July 9, 2014 Democracy Now coverage July 11, 2013: ""We Should Be Protecting Children": Rep. Gutiérrez Supports Funds for Humanitarian Crisis at Border" "Worst of the American Spirit": Advocates Decry Anti-Immigrant Protests, Urge Asylum for Children" External links Children in Danger: A Guide to the Humanitarian Challenge at the Border, American Immigration Council Unaccompanied Children FAQs from the Administration for Children and Families Dept. of the U.S. Government Health and Human Services Unaccompanied Alien Children: Potential Factors Contributing to Recent Immigration, Congressional Research Service Unaccompanied Alien Children—Legal Issues: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, Congressional Research Service Forced Displacement and Protection Needs produced by new forms of Violence and Criminality in Central America, commissioned by UNHCR and issued in May 2012 by the International Centre for the Human Rights of Migrants (CIDEHUM) Category:Illegal immigration to the United States Category:113th United States Congress Category:2014 in American politics Category:2014 in the United States Category:Presidency of Barack Obama Category:Northern Triangle refugee crisis Category:Guatemalan diaspora in the United States Category:Honduran diaspora in the United States Category:Salvadoran diaspora in the United States Category:2014 in Central America Category:Obama administration controversies