President Obama has asked Congress for $3.7 billion in emergency funds to deal with the current crisis of unaccompanied minors crossing the southwest border of the United States. These children are fleeing from Mexico (25%) and the Central American (75%) countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
The list below is a breakdown of how the $3.7 billion in emergency funds would be spent by the federal government:
– $1.1 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
– $433 million to Customs and Border Protection,
– $64 million for the Department of Justice,
– $300 million to the State Department, and – $1.8 billion to the Department of Health and Human Services
Why are these children fleeing their homes? The violence and extreme poverty in their home countries, and some of them also have a desire to reunite with close family members already in the United States. The truth is – there is no simple answer! For more detailed information on this subject please read the Immigration Policy Center (IPC) Report, “No Childhood Here: Why Central American Children are Fleeing Their Homes”.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reports the main problem area is the Rio Grande Valley (Sector) of the U.S.–Mexico border. CBP data shows a 178% increase in apprehensions of Unaccompanied Alien Children from Central America along this section of the border in the last (8) and a half months (10/1/13 to 6/15/14). Rio Grande Valley is located at the southernmost tip of Texas, along the U.S.–Mexico border.
Source of Information:
NBCnews.com, 7/8/14, News Article:
White House Asks Congress for $3.7 Billion for Border Crisis
Immigration Policy Center, 7/1/14, Report:
No Childhood Here: Why Central American Children are Fleeing Their Homes
CBP.gov, Newsroom/Stats and Summaries:
Southwest Border Unaccompanied Alien Children
WhiteHouse.gov, 7/8/14, News Release:
Letter from the President — Regarding Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Request to Address the Increase in Child and Adult Migration from Central America in the Rio Grande Valley Areas of the Southwest Border; and Wildfire Suppression