Border children

Children who cross the border alone are considered unaccompanied minors. Under U.S. law, they cannot be deported right away. They are placed with sponsors, who are typically close relatives such as parents, siblings or aunts and uncles that live in the USA. About 10% of the time, the minors are placed with people who aren't related to them. 70,000 Kids Will Show Up Alone at Our Border This Year. What Happens to Them? Those coming from Mexico are taken straight back across. The rest are referred to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (rather than being put in immigration detention with adults) and placed in temporary shelters while their deportation proceedings get under way. Child Poverty Affects almost 81 Million Children in Latin America and the Caribbean so it behooves congress to do something to deal with this problem. Allowing any child at the border to come in will encourage many more from Central America to head this way.