The Surge of Migrants at the Border Never Stopped
Remember the surge of often-unaccompanied children that came across America’s southern border in the summer of 2014?
More than 52,000 unaccompanied children were caught trying to cross the southern U.S. border in the first five months of this year. Between 60,000 to 90,000 such children are expected to have crossed by the end of 2014, and more than 140,000 are expected next year, according to the White House. That’s more than double the 24,668 that flowed across last year and triple the 13,625 children that came in 2012.
Because of the national media’s intermittent-at-best interest in our southern border, it was easy to think the problem had died down or dwindled a bit. Apparently, the numbers never really went down.
The surge of Central American families seeking asylum at U.S. borders is not letting up, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske said Wednesday after touring a temporary holding facility in the Rio Grande Valley set up to manage the influx.
The number of apprehensions along the southwestern border can be close to 2,000 a day — with most people turning themselves in, Kerlikowske said in a phone interview. The November influx was as high as what was seen in October: 46,195, he said.
The precise monthly number is to be announced next week.
Now, the 2014 figures were for children, and the recent figures were for all ages, but you get the picture. The people kept coming — often driven by the rumor that the United States government was providing “permisos” to those who made the journey. The Department of Homeland Security ran an op-ed in Spanish-language outlets in 2014 declaring that there are no “permisos” for unattended children. The announcement apparently had little to no effect.
Hundreds of immigrant families caught illegally crossing the Mexican border between July and September told U.S. immigration agents they made the dangerous trip in part because they believed they would be permitted to stay in the United States and collect public benefits.
So now the U.S. government, at considerable taxpayer expense, is constructing new facilities to process and care for these people coming across the border. It is the compassionate thing to do — but it is also not fair to expect America to underwrite the costs of caring for and educating the impoverished of Central American countries.
The new one in Donna is set to open Friday. It’s located adjacent to the Donna-Rio Bravo International Bridge.
“Our ports of entry are not equipped to hold people. So, we really do need these kinds of facilities,” Kerlikowske said.
Children and families will be transferred at the facility, after they are processed at the Border Patrol station or at a port of entry.
“They have to be processed and they have to be questioned. We have to find out who they are, and why they’re coming, is there the potential that someone would want to do harm to the country. And then we have to process them biometrically. Records about their height and their weight and their fingerprints, this process here helps us after they’re gone through all that,” he said.
When immigrants arrive at the facility, they will be able to take a shower. Their clothes will be washed and they’ll be provided with a new set of clothes. They’ll remain at the facility for about 72 hours.
Cots will fill some of the rooms. There will be televisions and DVD players to keep children occupied while they wait.
Contracted vendors will service three hot meals a day. And contracted medical staff will also be available around the clock.
Then, the people will go with either Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Many of them will end up in downtown McAllen at the bus station and Sacred Heart Respite Center.
They’ll head to meet families in cities across the country with a notice to appear in immigration court.
CBP said they’ll keep that facility open as long as it’s needed. They said they operated a similar one for a while in Weslaco back in 2014. They stopped when the numbers slowed down.
This does not just impact communities along the southern border. In the 2014 fiscal year, Fairfax County, Virginia accepted 1,373 undocumented minors who have been placed with sponsors; the following year, 560; the most recent fiscal year, 150.
