The Truth on Immigrant Parents and Children Separation

Immigrants coming to America from Mexico have become a huge topic in recent news. The news stations and the immigrants are blaming America for separating their children and putting them in camps. Let's take a look at the truth, a little perspective, and statistics behind what is really going on at our border.

By having closed borders, it ensures that our country stays as safe as possible from undocumented citizens, simply people that we don't have record of. Our borders are closed for a reason. It helps keep out the drug and sex trafficking, those who come and don't pay taxes, criminals who want to avoid being arrested in their own home country, etc. There are methods that allow easy travel between countries such as passports, work visas, and passport cards.

Being a citizen of a country and sneaking across international borders is highly illegal. Since this action is illegal those who decide to do so are subject to prosecution; Trump had even rolled out a no tolerance policy when it came to illegal crossing. There are people from Mexico who are coming with papers and in that case, nothing illegal has happened, meaning they won't be taken from their children. It's no surprise, this has been a law for decades. All of a sudden it is becoming an issue that as a country we are being unfair to immigrant parents coming to America illegally and separating them from their children. If an American parent broke the law their kids would not be trotting along to prison with their parents.

There is actually a very good reason why America separates immigrant adults from the children. "Trump administration officials claim that they only separate families at ports of entry if they are worried about the safety of the child, or if they don’t think there’s enough evidence that the adult is really the child’s legal custodian." By distancing the children and talking to them it was found that many children crossed the border with not their real parents. These adults pose as parents to seem innocent yet these kids are being trafficked or having drugs smuggled on them. According to VOX, on June 26th, 2018, the stats showed that 85 percent of children in holding centers were crossing the borders without their parents. Among the children coming across the border, there had been massive amounts of drugs found on the kids. Cartels are using vulnerable children to bring drugs such as fentanyl into America. This has become a very sticky situation for America. At this point, this country is trying to reunite children who truly were separated from the parents with enough proof that they really are their parents.

In 2014-15, according to an Office of the Inspector General report, 60 percent of unaccompanied children were released to their parents; 99 percent were released to relatives or close friends. (The other one percent were put in long-term foster care.)

According to the Trump Administration border crossings have decreased by 64 percent since the no-tolerance policy was rolled out.

The mass media makes it seem like taking the children from the adults is the worst thing ever. Yet, it is unfair for these children to be put in an illegal situation by their guardians or "parents".