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A year-long surge that brought nearly 63,000 unaccompanied children to the southwestern U.S. border had the Obama administration grappling for ways to handle the influx and stem the flow of children and families trying to get into the country. President Barack Obama on Saturday cited the crisis, which he said made Americans wary of new immigration measures, as the reason he put off taking executive action on immigration reform until after November congressional elections.
U.S. government figures show 3,141 unaccompanied children tried to cross the border in August, compared with this year's peaks of 10,580 in May and 10,622 in June. The July figure was 5,501. Adults with children trying to cross into the country dropped to 3,295 in August from 16,329 in June, they show. Johnson said the August figure for unaccompanied children was lower than last year's and the lowest since February 2013. To contain this year's surge, U.S. authorities opened temporary shelters, reassigned border agents, added processing centers and immigration judges and launched Spanish-language campaigns in the countries most of the children were fleeing, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. "The aggressive border security measures recounted above have cost money," Johnson said in a statement.
Migrants sit at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church temporary migrant shelter in McAllen, Texas
Obama in July sought $3.7 billion in supplemental funding for DHS, which includes the Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agencies. Congress did not approve the funding before its summer recess and Johnson said he was forced to reprogram money from the disaster relief fund and other homeland security priorities.
With lawmakers back in session, the department is seeking $1.2 billion in supplemental funding for fiscal year 2015. "Though the worst of the spike in illegal migration is over and back to 2013 levels, we must still pay our bills and continue to sustain the measures we put in place to prevent another spike in illegal migration of unaccompanied children andadults with children," Johnson said in a statement.
Number of Unaccompanied Children Crossing Illegally into US Plummets
“This program will allow certain parents who are lawfully present in the United States to request access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for their children still in one of these three countries,” the State Department said in a news release. The department added that “[c]hildren who are found ineligible for refugee admission but still at risk of harm may be considered for parole on a case-by-case basis.” The State Department said the new, in-country program is a “safe, legal, and orderly alternative to the dangerous journey that some children are currently undertaking to the United States.” Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, refugee status is reserved for people fleeing their home country due to “persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.”
But under the new program, a child who doesn’t qualify as a refugee might still come to the United States. “Applicants found by DHS to be ineligible for refugee status in the United States will be considered on a case-by-case basis for parole, which is a mechanism to allow someone who is otherwise inadmissible to come to the United States for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit,” the State Department said. “Humanitarian parole” is a category found under Section 212.5 of the INA that allows a non-U.S. citizen entrance into the United States on a temporary basis due to “urgent humanitarian reasons” or “significant public benefit.” In the past, this status has been granted to persons with serious medical needs, pregnant women and to some Cuban citizens. “An individual considered for parole may be eligible for parole if DHS finds that the individual is at risk of harm, he/she clears all background vetting, there is no serious derogatory information, and someone has committed to financially support the individual while he/she is in the United States,” the State Department said in the news release.
Under the new program, parents of a “paroled” child will need to pay the cost of the child’s medical clearance and travel to the United States. “Parole is temporary and does not confer any permanent legal immigration status or path to permanent legal immigration status in the United States,” the State Department said, adding that these children “are not eligible for medical and other benefits upon arrival in the United States, but are eligible to attend school and/or apply for employment authorization.”
Detainees sleep in a holding cell at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection, processing facility in Brownsville,Texas. Many of the immigrants recently flooding the nation’s southern border say they’re fleeing violent gangs in Central America. These gangs were a byproduct of U.S. immigration and Cold War policies, specifically growing from the increase in deportations in the 1990s. With weak dysfunctional governments at home, U.S. street gang culture easily took hold and flourished in these countries.
Parole is granted on an initial period of two years with an option to renew, the State Department added. In order to be considered for the new program, the child must undergo a pre-screening interview, DNA testing to confirm parentage and an interview to determine if he or she qualifies for refugee status, the State Department said. They must also undergo “security checks” and a medical screening. If the child is approved for admission into the U.S., the child’s parent(s) must sign a form agreeing to repay the cost of his or her travel to the United States, according to the State Department. “Approved refugees will be eligible for the same support provided to all refugees resettled in the United States, including assignment to a resettlement agency that will assist with reception and placement, and assistance registering children in school,” the news release said.
The State Department emphasized that the new program will not be available to illegal alien parents who are currently in the United States. “The refugee/parole program will not be a pathway for undocumented parents to bring their children to the United States, but instead, the program will provide certain vulnerable, at-risk children an opportunity to be reunited with parents lawfully resident in the United States.” Under the current process, permanent legal residents of the United States must petition for their children under age 21 to be brought to the U.S. The child would then also become a legal U.S. resident. However, due to limits Congress has placed on how many relatives of legal residents may enter the United States each year, the process often include lengthy waiting periods of several years.
Obama State Dept. Creates New Program to Import Children from Latin America CNS News
When a reporter asked Boehner if he supported putting such language in the must-pass spending bill, Boehner said: "You know, the president is threatening to take unilateral action on immigration, even though in the past he's made clear he didn't believe he had the constitutional responsibility or authority to do that. And I'll just say this: We're going to fight the president tooth and nail if he continues down this path. "This is the wrong way to govern," Boehner said. "This is exactly what the American people said on Election Day they didn't want. "So all of the options are on the table," said Boehner. "We're having discussion with our members and no decision has been made as to how we will fight this if he proceeds."
A reporter followed up: "A government funding bill could have that strict language, you're leaving that option open?" "All options are on the table," Boehner repeated. "We're going to have conversations with our members, and when we have a decision we'll let you know." A reporter then asked: "You've said before, though, that a government shutdown should be off the table. A government shutdown is not good for the party or the country. Why not take it off the table now?" Boehner then said: "Our goal here is to stop the president from violating his oath of office and violating the Constitution. It's not to shut down the government."
A reporter asked: "Do you believe there is a mechanism by which you can stop him?" "We are looking at all options," Boehner repeated again. "They're on the table. Our goal is to stop the president from doing this." "Do you think you can, though?" a reporter asked. "Well, we'll find out," said Boehner. "Other than the power of the purse, what other options are you looking at?" a reporter asked. "Well, you know, every administration needs this and needs that, needs all kinds of things," said Boehner. "And you know, if he wants to go off on his own, there are things that he's just not going to get."
Similarly, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell did not state that he would support language in the government funding bill that is needed to keep the government going after Dec. 11 that would prohibit Obama from implementing a unilateral legalization of illegal aliens. At the beginning of his own press conference on Thursday, McConnell said, "I have been very disturbed by the way the president has proceeded in the wake of the election." Among the things that disturbed McConnell were the president's "apparent determination to move ahead on immigration with Executive Orders."
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"52,000 unaccompanied minor Illegals ; Feds want to place in resort"
How do you know they're 'illegal.'
Have they been afforded due process and found guilty in a court of law.Where else you you propose they be housed, in a prison.
If you and most others on the right weren't such ignorant, hateful bigots, we might have realized immigration reform by now, and all of this wouldn't be necessary. Conservatives are in no position to complain about a problem they're unwilling to help solve, and seek only to exploit for some perceived partisan advantage.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, there was a 102 percent increase in the number of unaccompanied alien children (20,455) who were apprehended at the southwest border between Oct. 1, 2015 and Jan. 31, 2016 compared to 10,105 apprehended during the same time period in FY2015. However, less than four percent (4,680) of the 127,193 UACs who have been caught illegally entering the U.S. over the past two and a half years have been sent back home because the vast majority do not show up for their deportation hearings, Sessions noted during a Judiciary Committee hearing held earlier this week. “Nobody’s looking for them. The system is not working. All you have to do is just come into the country unlawfully, be released into the country, and if you don’t show up for court, you’re never looked for and deported,” the senator pointed out.
The Protection of Children Act of 2016 (S.2561) “amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to provide expedited processing for unaccompanied alien children who are not victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons and who do not have a fear of returning to their country of nationality or last habitual residence,” according to a press release from Sessions’ office.
Unaccompanied alien children at a Border Patrol holding center in Arizona.
Bemoaning the "virtual collapse of enforcement" of the nation's immigration laws, Sessions - who is chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest - said in a statement that "the only way to stop the illegality is to ensure those who enter unlawfully, including children, are treated well but returned home quickly... “Assurance of being returned sends a powerful message louder than words. The word will spread and the number attempting illegal entry will quickly fall,” Sessions predicted. “The Protection of Children Act eliminates a well-intentioned but misguided policy that incentivizes children to embark on the dangerous journey to the United States,” said Johnson, chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. “If enacted, this bill will address the current humanitarian crisis at our border head-on. I am pleased to support this legislation with Sen. Sessions.”
The bill also requires the secretary of Health and Human Services to provide Congress prior notification of the name, address, Social Security number, date of birth, immigration status and contact information for any adult with whom an UAC who has been allowed to remain in the U.S. is to be placed. If an investigation of the adult’s immigration status determines that he or she is also in the U.S. illegally, the bill requires HHS to “initiate removal proceedings.”
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"Listen, we have always welcomed legal immigrants, but I think it is a mistake to forgive those who break the law to allow them to become U.S. citizens, and that's why I've led the fight against granting citizenship to those here illegally, and that's why I will do the same thing as president." Cruz said the "forgotten" element in the immigration debate is "the hardworking men and women of this country -- our millions of Americans who are losing their jobs -- million of legal immigrants who are losing their jobs, are seeing their wages driven down."
Cruz pointed to a Wall Street Journal article describing what happened when Arizona passed laws cracking down on illegal immigration, forcing illegal aliens to flee the state: "Some of the business owners complained that the wages they had to pay workers went up, and from their perspective that was a bad thing. But what the state of Arizona has seen is the dollars they're spending on welfare, on prisons, and education, all of those have dropped by hundreds of millions of dollars. "And, the Americans, and for that matter, the legal immigrants who are in Arizona, are seeing unemployment drop are seeing wages rise. That's who we need to be fighting for."
Sen. Marco Rubio said he would secure the border before doing anything else on immigration. "We are going to secure the border. And that's not just the physical border with Mexico, it's visa overstays. That's 45 percent of the problem right there. Rubio advocates e-verify for job applicants and an entry-exit tracking system for foreign visitors to the United States. "And until that happens, we're not doing anything else. And then we'll see what the American people are willing to support," he said -- indicating wiggle room on eventual legal status. Rubio, as a member of the Senate "gang of eight," has previously supported a pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens.
Cruz: No Citizenship for Those Who Are Here Illegally
