They fear a new crisis of migrant children in the US.

[chandrikaranidas]

After the number of children illegally entering the United States across the Mexico border unaccompanied by an adult has increased over the past two months, a senior official in President Barack Obama's administration expressed concern that there is not enough funding to house to minors, and warned of the risk of another border crisis breaking out, according to a letter obtained by the Associated Press. In the letter, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell told members of the House Appropriations Committee that, even with increased contingency funding requested by the president, her office continues to face a lack of funding that could lead to “the situation we already faced (in 2014), when children were left at the border for unacceptable periods.



The government is hoping to avoid a repeat of the crisis that occurred in the summer of 2014, when tens of thousands of children and families crossed the border. Border Patrol holding areas were overcrowded to such an extent that children had to sleep on concrete floors and covered with isothermal blankets. A total of 10,588 unaccompanied Portugal WhatsApp Number List children crossed the US-Mexico border in October and November of this year, compared to 5,129 who crossed during the same two months in 2014, according to the US Border Patrol. . By law, children who come from countries that do not have a border with the US and entered the country alone must be turned over to the Department of Health and Human Services within 72 hours of being detained.



The government is responsible for the care of children until they are reunited with a family member or sponsor in the U.S., and immigration courts can rule on their cases. In the last two months, not only has the arrival of minors traveling alone doubled, but the number of family members crossing the border together has almost tripled to 12,505 compared to the same period last year. Experts say the number of people fleeing gang violence in Central America has increased. El Salvador is seeing an increase in its homicide rate to levels not seen since the country's civil war, while violence ravages Honduras and Guatemala. The arrival of more migrants is a cause for concern because it occurs in a season in which the cold usually deters people from undertaking the trip, specialists add. Although Mexico has detained migrants within its borders and returned a large number to their countries, experts say that smugglers have found new routes to transport these people to the border with the United States.