Influx of migrant children slows

Politico

By Seung Min Kim

August 7, 2014

Influx of migrant children slows 

Nearly 63,000 unaccompanied migrant children have been apprehended at the Southern border since October, but the number of minors caught trying to cross into the United States illegally dropped dramatically in July, the Obama administration said Thursday.

The surge of children traveling alone to the United States — primarily from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras — this year forced President Barack Obama to declare a humanitarian crisis and seek $3.7 billion in additional money from Congress to respond.

But that influx slowed down considerably last month, according to statistics released Thursday from the Department of Homeland Security. In July, 5,508 unaccompanied children were apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border. That compares to the more than 10,000 minors who were caught in both May and June.

Last month marked the first time this year that the number of unaccompanied children at the border dropped, according to DHS. The number of immigrant adults with children caught by Border Patrol agents also plummeted — from 16,330 caught in June compared to 7,410 in July.

“We continue to have much work to do to address this issue and our message continues to be clear — ‘our border is not open to illegal migration,’” Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Thursday. “Unless you qualify for some form of humanitarian relief, we will send you back consistent with our laws and values.”

But unable to overcome a deep partisan gridlock on Capitol Hill, lawmakers left Washington for congressional recess last week without sending Obama legislation to deal with the border crisis. The Republican-led House passed a $659 million funding measure that prompted a veto threat from the White House. And a funding measure backed by Senate Democrats was blocked in a procedural vote.

Several factors could be behind the drop in the number of children. For instance, experts have said the hot July weather, particularly down south, could deter immigrants from making the journey.

But in June, Obama administration officials began making aggressive warnings to children and parents in Central America, urging the children not to come to the United States. Johnson penned an op-ed in Spanish that ran in Latino media markets , and Obama said in a late June interview in a message directed at parents in Central America: “Do not send your children to the borders.”

In his statement Thursday, Johnson also noted the boost in enforcement resources within his agency, such as additional detention centers for immigrant adults traveling with children, and more frequent flights to repatriate the migrants back to their home countries.

Because Congress didn’t agree on a funding bill before leaving town, government agencies are forced to shift around funds to ensure there is enough money to respond to the border crisis.

Johnson has reprogrammed $405 million away from other agencies within DHS to create some extra cash for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection — both housed under DHS and responsible for much of the border-crisis response. ICE was poised to run out of money starting mid-month, and CBP will be in the same situation in mid-September.

“I was disappointed that Congress left for its August recess without acting on the president’s request for supplemental funding to support the men and women of this department who have worked overtime to respond to the urgent situation,” Johnson said. “I hope when Congress returns in September it will act quickly on the request.”

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