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Over 660 migrant children remain in US custody after being separated from their families while attempting to cross the border. Most separations occurred during a pilot program in the El Paso area, and the lack of documented background information makes reunification difficult. President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to work on reuniting families, but it is unclear if they will be allowed to seek asylum. The US-Mexico border is 1,951 miles long and has over 700 miles of wall and 19,000 border patrol officers, but 97% of illegal crossings occur in barrier-free areas.
Migrant families attempting to cross the border from Mexico to the United States dream of a new home, but recently many of those dreams have turned into nightmares. In November 2020, attorneys working with some of the families said there were over 660 children who were separated from their families while attempting to come to America and now remain in US custody because their parents cannot be located. The children are of different ages, but about 20% have not yet reached their fifth birthday.
Many of the separations occurred during a “zero tolerance” policy enforced by the Trump administration between April and June 2018, but most occurred while the administration was testing a pilot program in the El Paso area. In large part, the difficulty in reunifying families stems from the lack of documented background information during the process. In many cases, US agents don’t have phone numbers to call.
Incoming US President Joe Biden has vowed to work to reunite the children with their families, though it was unclear whether the families will then be allowed to seek asylum in the US.
Border problems:
The US-Mexico border is 1,951 miles (3,140 km) long and is considered the busiest border in the world.
There are now more than 700 miles (1,127 km) of wall dividing America from Mexico and more than 19,000 border patrol officers.
Ninety-seven percent of all illegal crossings of the U.S.-Mexico border occur in barrier-free areas.
