How to Stop Illegal Child Immigrants: Keep Central American Kids in School Andres Oppenheimer - Savannahnow.com
go to original July 7, 2014

Number of children crossing the US border nearly doubled in one year; Border Patrol running out of detention centers. (Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press)

President Obama’s vow to take executive actions to fix the immigration system and stem the avalanche of Central American children migrants to the United States is good news, but I’m afraid it will only be a Band-Aid approach, which won’t address the key issue: Keeping Central American kids in school.

Obama announced that, given the Republican-controlled House’s refusal to pass much-needed immigration reform that was approved by the Senate last year, he will move unilaterally in coming weeks.

Obama was pushed to act following the humanitarian crisis triggered by the nearly 50,000 unaccompanied Central American children who crossed the border without immigration papers since Oct. 1. Most of them are fleeing from gang violence and economic hopelessness in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

But, judging from what U.S. officials are saying, Obama’s plan to stop the flow of Central American children is focused on law enforcement measures, such as opening up new detention facilities on the border.

In a June 30 letter to Congress, Obama called for “a border security surge” and “an aggressive deterrence strategy.” The Obama administration has said that it will set aside $161.5 million this year for the Central American Regional Security Initiative to fund the region’s most pressing security and governance challenges.

Will these kinds of measures help stop the flow of Central American children? I seriously doubt it. They will only help marginally, and in the short run.

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