Immigrants

When unaccompanied children cross the border they are taken to detention facilities for up to 72 hours and then transferred around the country where there are beds available. Many come with information about friends or relatives and the government tries to connect them with these people. In the first eight months of this fiscal year, agents have encountered about 100,000 underage migrants traveling alone, compared with nearly 150,000 in the 2021 fiscal year, a record that could be exceeded this year. Others are placed into immigration proceedings and sent to an alternate detention program in the interior of the United States. They are expected to show up for their court date which can be months or years. Since these court records are secret on one knows how many show up. Records show that only 11% are granted asylum. While they wait most find jobs and after 180 days are eligible for a work permit. During this time most children are enrolled in school. Some common destinations are Texas, California, Florida and New York, followed by Maryland and Virginia. Rounding out the top 10 are New Jersey, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. It is not reasonable to expect millions to remain along the border.