Sunday, June 17, 2018

A reasonable assessment-----Separating Kids at Border: The Truth | National Review

Separating Kids at Border: The Truth | National Review
"Some economic migrants are using children as chits, but the problem is fixable — if Congress acts.
The latest furor over Trump immigration policy involves the separation of children from parents at the border.
As usual, the outrage obscures more than it illuminates, so it’s worth walking through what’s happening here.

For the longest time, illegal immigration was driven by single males from Mexico. 

Over the last decade, the flow has shifted to women, children, and family units from Central America.
...The aministration isn’t changing the rules that pertain to separating an adult from the child. 
See the source imageThose remain the same. 
Separation happens only if officials find that the adult is falsely claiming to be the child’s parent, or is a threat to the child, or is put into criminal proceedings.
It's the last that is operative here. 
The past practice had been to give a free pass to an adult who is part of a family unit. 
The new Trump policy is to prosecute all adults. 
The idea is to send a signal that we are serious about our laws and to create a deterrent against re-entry. (Illegal entry is a misdemeanor, illegal re-entry a felony.)
...Needless to say, children should not be making this journey that is fraught with peril.
But there is now a premium on bringing children because of how we have handled these cases.
They are considered chits.

In April, the New York Times reported:
Some migrants have admitted they brought their children not only to remove them from danger in such places as Central America and Africa, but because they believed it would cause the authorities to release them from custody sooner.
Others have admitted to posing falsely with children who are not their own, and Border Patrol officials say that such instances of fraud are increasing.
According to azcentral.com, it is “common to have parents entrust their children to a smuggler as a favor or for profit.”...
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