As crime and violence has increased in Mexico and Central America, there has been a notable increase in asylum-seekers. More than ever, children are entering the United States with no trace of a guardian or parent.
Painting of Migrant Child Arriving in 2018 at the U.S.-Mexico Border. Dan Lacey. CC BY-NC 2.0
Central America has been hit with ongoing gang violence, poverty, lack of opportunity and unemployment. The pandemic has worsened the situation for many, and in November 2020, hurricanes Eta and Iota displaced 3 million people. The dire need for lives to be improved has pushed Central Americans toward attempting to migrate to the U.S., no matter how high the stakes. Throughout the years, children have accompanied parents in their migration journeys. However, in 2019, children began arriving to the US border alone when the parents realized the U.S government was allowing unaccompanied children to stay if they had traveled alone.
A report conducted by UNICEF notes that children makeup 30% of all migrants and asylum-seekers in Central America and Mexico. In addition, 15% of the children arriving (half) are not accompanied by any adult or family member. This makes it difficult for border patrol agents to get in contact with the child’s parents and/or guardian. Children as young as 6 years old have been taken into custody, demonstrating the families’ desperate need to remove the children from the living conditions they are in. Once in custody, the children are taken to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stations before they are transferred to an Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) shelter. CBP stations are often in filthy and overcrowded conditions unsuitable for children. Although there are standards to guide the treatment of unaccompanied children, little oversight exists to ensure they are treated humanely and cared for according to child-appropriate protocols while in CBP custody.
In an attempt to deter Central Americans from coming to the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) entered into an agreement in 2018 requiring these agencies to share information about individuals attempting to reunify with an unaccompanied child. The information was then used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest and detain family members, ultimately creating a domino effect. Parents and loved ones of unaccompanied children lived under fear that stepping forward to sponsor the child would trigger their own detention and deportation. This agreement also dramatically prolonged lengths of stay for children in ORR custody. In March 2021, the Biden administration ended a large portion of the sponsor information sharing agreement, though it remains unclear how the prior agreement continues to taint or pause the reunification process for children’s caregivers.
Children held in ORR custody usually trust case managers, clinicians, therapists or other adults with extensive personal information. Children often were unaware that these details could be shared with ICE. Once shared, children’s ORR records were used against them in their asylum applications. The story of teen Kevin Euceda published in 2020 is an example of how ORR therapy note records were used against children in immigration proceedings. Euceda was asked to speak freely about his life and told it would be kept confidential. Feeling like his therapist was a safe space to speak about his life, Euceda shared that MS-13 gang members forced him to run errands and sell drugs from the age of 12. When he was ordered to kill a stranger, Euceda ran.
His therapists was expected to submit pages of notes over several sessions to his file, however , HHS officials shared the notes with lawyers and ICE without the knowledge of the teen or the therapists. The notes were used against Euceda in immigration court to paint him as a dangerous gang member who should be denied asylum. In sharing those therapy notes, the government did not break any laws. But it did violate standard professional practices to keep confidentiality between Euceda and his therapists.
After being detained for three years, Euceda requested to be sent back to Honduras. He returned to his native country but crossed over to Guatemala to be reunited with his sister who resided there. A month later, he was found dead on the side of the road.
Since President Biden took office, there has been a spike in unaccompanied migrant children. The increase in arrivals has left an unprepared administration to scramble for solutions and shelter. Children are being kept longer than the 72-hour limit set by the federal law. Identifying and vetting an appropriate family member or guardian for each child takes time, which increases when the child has no knowledge or information on his/her relatives who live in the U.S. There is an estimate of 9,980 children in U.S custody today.
Get Involved:
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service is an organization that serves immigrant and asylum seeking children arriving in the U.S. They provide family reunification, foster care and advocacy. Learn more about Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service here. Support the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service here.
Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) is an organization that helps bring high quality lawyers to represent children in immigration court, ensuring that every child does not appear in court alone. Learn more about KIND click here. To Support KIND click here.
Save the Children has been working directly with migrant children since 2019. The organization provides humanitarian aid to children and families that have recently arrived in the U.S. Children are given meals, clothing and shelters with child friendly spaces. Learn more about Save the Children click here. To support Save the Children click here
Jennifer is a Communications Studies graduate based in Los Angeles. She grew up traveling with her dad and that is where her love for travel stems from. You can find her serving the community at her church, Fearless LA or planning her next trip overseas. She hopes to be involved in international humanitarian work one day.