State leads in deported minors

Baja California is second in Mexico in terms of deported minors, according to reports of the National Immigration Institute.

The agency said 1,196 children immigrants were deported between January and April.

The state of Tamaulipas leads with 1,374.

By ports of entry, Tijuana is first with 669 deported minors, followed by Nuevo Laredo II with 641. Mexicali is third with 527 children. Of them 31 were released with a family member and were younger than 11 years old. The report says 49 were ages 12 to 17 and released with a family member, while 447 were the same ages but unaccompanied. On Thursday, First Lady Brenda Ruacho said the number of unaccompanied minor immigrants has doubled this year compared to 2017. Between January and June of last year the Family Development Office provided care to 605 immigrant children, and as of this year the agency has taken care of 1,277, including minors from Central America, Mexico, Philippines, India, Iraq, Brazil and Iran.

First Lady Ruacho blamed U.S. immigration policies for the increase.

“We have a commitment to support and protect our unaccompanied immigrant children regardless of their nationality,” she said. “We must come together to make their rights being respected whether they are Mexican or not.”

The Mexican agency said 4,040 immigrant minors were deported during the first four months of the year. More than three quarters of them were unaccompanied children of between 12 and 17 years of age.

— Arturo Bojorquez, ab oj or quez@ iv press

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