Number of separated kids has barely declined
The immigration debate has reached a fevered pitch with revelations that dozens of children separated from their parents as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown are being held in South Florida.
As politicians debate immigration, here are some things we know and don’t know about the issue.
What led to families being separated at the border?
Federal policy allows families trying to cross into the country illegally to be separated if immigration officials suspect a child is in danger, if they believe the adult is not the child’s parent or guardian or if the parents were arrested for a crime other than the improper border crossing, such as drug trafficking.
But in April, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a zero tolerance policy that every person trying to cross into the country illegally would be arrested and charged criminal ly. That has resulted in a spike in families being separated at the border.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on June 20 that intends to keep families together, but thousands of children remain separated.
How many separated childrenare being held in shelters across the country?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees shelters for migrant children, reported 2,047 separated children were in its custody as of June 26. A spokesman has refused to reveal where these children are being held. A
map obtained through a source at the agency by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette shows Texas and Arizona are housing the most children, but some are being held far from the southern border in New York and Washington state.
How many migrant kids are in Florida?
More than1,000 migrant children are being held at three facilities in South Florida. The vast majority came without older relatives and are being kept at the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children. The federal government has not provided firm numbers on how many children separated under the zero-tolerance policy are being held in Florida. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s office has said there could be as many as 174.
About 70 children between the ages of 13-17 are at the Homestead shelter, program director Leslie Wood told The Associated Press. Two other facilities also have contracts to house migrant children — His House Children’s Home in Miami Gardens and the Catholic Charities’ Msgr. Bryan Walsh Children’ s Village in Cutler Bay. At the Msgr. Bryan Walsh Children’s Village, 22 children — mostly elementary school age children and some as young as 4— are being held. An employee at His House confirmed that the facility is holding separated children, but he would not say howmany.
Where did they come from?
Most of the children are coming from three Central American countries — El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
Why do they come here?
Tim Gamwell, assistant director of the Guatemalan-Center in Lake Worth, said most families crossing illegally into the United States are in search of a better life. Violence and crushing poverty have spurred them to flee. Children are often sent on their own to join relatives already living in the United States, such as in Lake Worth’s Guatemalan community. How did they get here? A fact sheet released by Health and Human Services reported that 83 percent of children in its facilities entered the United States without older relatives. Mary Ross Agosta, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Miami, said South Florida has a history of children arriving by themselves by plane and boat. Her organization operates the Cutler Bay facility and has been sheltering immigrant children since 1958, including thousands of Cuban youths who came to South Florida inthe early 1960s.
A flight attendant wrote on Facebook that she saw 16 migrant children — likely between the ages of 6 and11 — being transported on a red-eye commercial flight from Phoenix to Miami. The Arizona Republic confirmed the woman who authored the post was employed as a flight attendant. Several airlines have issued statements asking the federal government not to use their flights to transport children separated at the border.
What is the status of reunification?
Federal officials say they are working to reunite families as quickly as possible, but statistics show the number of separated children has barely declined. Health and Human Services reported on June 20 that it had 2,053 separated children in its custody, but that number only declined to 2,047 on June 26. Of the 70 children being held in Homestead, eight have been unable to reach their parents, who possibly have been deported, according to Nelson’s office. A federal judge in California gave the Trump administration 30 days to reunite children with their parents.
Staff writer Dan Sweeney contributed to this report. sswisher@sunsentinel.com, 561-243-6634 or @SkylerSwisher