Unaccompanied Children from Latin America Still Come to the US in Search 'To Be Someone' Elizabeth Kennedy - LatinaLista
go to original September 9, 2012

Based on the ground-breaking book by award-winning journalist Juan González, HARVEST OF EMPIRE takes an unflinching look at the role that U.S. economic and military interests played in triggering an unprecedented wave of migration that is transforming our nation's cultural and economic landscape. (www.harvestofempiremovie.com)

The number of child migrants to the USA continues to rise despite border militarization. Liz Kennedy teaches at shelters along the Mexico-US border where those caught are detained. She reveals why they feel that the 2,000 mile journey is their only choice.

This year the United States has seen a significant increase in the number of children under the age of 18 arriving from countries such as El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala without documentation and without a parent or legal guardian. They are known as ‘unaccompanied minors’. In the first six months of 2012 alone more children arrived than in all of 2011.

A Mexican law introduced in 2011 has supposedly decreased the likelihood that children will be deported back to Central America from Mexico en route, meaning that more make it to the US border. However, there is also evidence to suggest that key portions of this law have not been enacted, and Mexico claims to be deporting record numbers of Central Americans.

Conservative politicians assert that the US border is not secure enough, despite billions of dollars spent and huge increases in agents on the ground. Then, some academics believe that because adult migration to the US has stopped, kids must now come to reunite with their parents.

In personal conversations, numerous service providers and lawyers have said that they believe “the word has gotten back to families that their kids will be cared for [in the US].” Yet as the President and CEO of the US Committee on Refugees and Immigrants, Lavinia Limon, has said: “none of [this speculation] is supported by hard proof or cited by the children themselves…Since our policies fail to provide a way, the children, unsurprisingly, are taking matters into their own hands.”

My own experiences with over 100 unaccompanied minors over the past year confirm Limon’s view and highlight significant differences between the decision making of child migrants and their adult counterparts.

From an early age, many Central American and Mexican youth internalise the phrases al otro lado (‘to the other side’) and al norte (‘to the North’). For decades, members of their community have left hoping to fulfil the ‘American Dream’, and many have not seen one or both of their parents for years. Culturally, many are expected to contribute financially to support their family once in their teens.

Their stories reveal that they consider the same opportunities and factors their parents did, but they also suggest that they are more willing to embrace risk. The faltering US economy, border militarization, and gang violence now deterring adults does not seem to keep children from coming; they feel that the 2,000 mile journey is their only choice. Most minors specifically reference the better education, greater career mobility and higher pay available in the US when talking about their reasons for migrating.

Read more at LatinaLista

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