In recent months, there have been Record numbers of immigrants trying to cross the US border illegally, which is leading authorities from various districts to take extraordinary measures. However, there is an important derived phenomenon that involves children and generates additional concern.
Many are those who, in search of a better quality of life for their family, decide to undertake a dangerous journey to reach the United States, putting the safety of minors at risk. But in recent months it has been discovered that The number of children traveling alone is growing.
According to a report by The New York Times, between 2012 and 2023 The number of minors who crossed the United States border on their own reached 750,000. But it is striking that in the period from 2021 to 2023 more than half arrived, since the figure was 400,000 in those years, marking a record.
The majority of the minors, the article states, come from Guatemala and Honduras. To a lesser extent, El Salvador was mentioned. According to the information, the minors were sent to live with sponsors, mainly to southern states that include Colorado, Florida, Texas, Iowa, Nebraska, Denver and Oklahoma.
The outlook for minors who manage to reach the United States is not positive, the majority work full time in dangerous jobs and, of course, in breach of the laws, since they are not authorized to do so, so their future and security are uncertain.
What happens to migrant children when they arrive alone in the United States?
Although the situation varies according to each case, When it is detected that a minor is traveling alone, the Department of Homeland Security has the responsibility to detain, process and, where appropriate, return the children to their country of origin.this is if they can verify that they are not at risk of being victims of trafficking and can be repatriated safely.
If it is concluded that they cannot return to their home country, they are placed in group and foster homes or other facilities to provide long-term child care. These facilities depend on federal funding and through these they provide educational, social, health and legal services. They can remain there until they are eighteen years old if they cannot be safely returned to their parents or relatives, according to the foreign relations council.
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