This Was the Year of the Child Immigrant Crisis, and It May Reappear in 2015 Brianna Lee - IBTimes
go to original December 27, 2014

More than 70,000 unaccompanied children tried to illegally enter the US in 2014. And for the first time ever, the majority of these minors came from Central American countries than from Mexico. Here are seven things you need to know about the child immigration crisis. (TestTube)

U.S. President Barack Obama’s executive action on deportation relief may have been the most groundbreaking event in immigration this year. But by and large, 2014 was the year of another immigration issue that stirred up just as much controversy: the influx of unaccompanied Central American children at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The child immigrant crisis has mostly faded from headlines and political debates, as the number of unaccompanied Central American immigrant children apprehended at the border has declined from the crisis levels reached in June and July. But immigration analysts and government officials say it could bubble up again in 2015. The Obama administration has fired on all cylinders to ensure that it can respond to another surge, but critics say one of the most crucial aspects of dealing with the crisis - namely, getting immigrants access to lawyers - still hasn’t been settled.

The influx of immigrants, mainly unaccompanied children and family units from Central America, flooded shelters and Border Patrol processing stations in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley during the spring and summer. Gang violence, domestic abuse, economic calculations, rumors of leniency and the availability of smugglers promising guidance to the U.S. all fueled the flow out of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, three countries with some of the world’s highest murder rates. Children and families already fleeing violent conditions endured treacherous journeys through Mexico, often on the perilous northbound freight train known as La Bestia (or The Beast).

By August, the numbers were already starting to decline, with 3,141 unaccompanied children and 3,295 families apprehended at the border that month, down from 10,622 children and 12,772 families in June. By October, the figures fell below 2013 levels. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson attributed the decline to aggressive campaigns the administration launched to capture smugglers, warn Central Americans of the dangers of immigration, detain families caught at the border and expedite deportations. Mexico’s government also cracked down on illegal immigration, deporting tens of thousands of Central Americans from the country.

The political dust also settled in the fall. Congressional Republicans initially blocked emergency funding for the crisis on demands for a legal amendment to allow Border Patrol officers to send Central American unaccompanied minors back if they didn’t express a fear for their lives. And last month, Republicans directed their fury toward President Obama’s executive action. By the end of 2014, the child immigrant crisis had faded from the national conversation.

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