What's Driving an Exodus of Unaccompanied Minors Across the US-Mexico Border? Joyce Hackel - Public Radio International
go to original June 6, 2014

Alexandra from Guatemala shows a drawing she made at a shelter for underage immigrants and repatriated minors. (Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters)

Imagine for a second what it's like for the kids who trek across the US-Mexico border without documents and without parents.

Last year alone, 24,000 undocumented minors were caught making that journey. The shelters that usually hold them are filled to capacity, so a US Air Force base is being pressed into temporary service to house some of the youth.

Susan Cruz tries to help the minors once they get here. Cruz is a citizen of the United States and El Salvador. She testifies as an expert witness in cases involving undocumented minors.

"One of the main drivers that's pushing these kids out of their home countries is the crime and violence that is almost unchecked by the governments of these countries," Cruz says.

Read the rest at PRI's The World

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