The number of children arriving alone at the southern US border increases

More than 3,250 minors are detained by the United States government at the southern border, which borders Mexico. The law says the government can only keep them for three days in special cells, but the reality is that given the high volume of arrivals, the process tends to take time..

White House press secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged the challenge posed by the situation and explained part of its origin.

“This administration does not consider it human or moral to reject unaccompanied minors at the border. Send them back to countries from which they are fleeing with situations of high danger, on extremely dangerous roads (…) EThis subject is incredibly difficult, and even extremely moving for us in the White House. Whether you are a father or not, seeing these stories, reading these reports, it’s complicatedPsaki said when asked questions from the press.

Due to the high number of minors in this situation, the transfer of children and young people to centers where they can receive the help of a lawyer, education or health care, it takes longer than expected. As state policy, the Biden administration has also decided to make the background check process more intensive for any adult who offers to care for one of these minors without being a family member. The intention is to ensure the well-being of the miners, but the consequence is that the times are more delayed.

“Under the Trump administration, there has been an acceleration in the processes of connecting children with adults who pretend to know them or to be part of their family. But there are very serious problems, such as child trafficking, which force us to work to prevent them.Psaki added.

Many of these children do not arrive completely alone, but do so without their parents but come in the company of an older brother, grandfather or cousin. The law says that even if they are with an adult family member, the government must separate them and investigate the relationship, to prevent it from being a human trafficking case. This law has been around for decades and does not respond to changes made by the old administration known as “zero tolerance”, when virtually all minors were separated from adults, even if they were their parents. This policy has generated a lot of controversy, not least because of its scale, but it should be clarified that it is not something that started with the Trump administration, but has been carried out on a smaller scale since then. by Barack Obama.

The process, at best, takes a few weeks. In most cases, children spend months in detention centers.

“I have been to many meetings with the president where he asked: How can we speed up the process? How many teachers do these children have available? Do we have enough doctors to treat them? This is the kind of conversation we have. The challenge is that there are many difficult decisions to be made. We try to do our best, but without a doubt the situation at the border breaks our hearts», Concluded the official.

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