The Missing Immigrant Children Of 2018

By Carolyn Martin


When it comes to news in the United States, immigration is on the forefront. For, as a result of the government separating children from parents at the border, there are now many missing immigrant children. While some have now been reunited, there are still hundreds, if not over a thousand whom remain lost in the system.

The Attorney General Jeff Sessions zero tolerance policy is largely responsible for the current ongoing issue. As such, it has become clear that the Health and Human Services Department had no record keeping policies in place at the time of separation. Nor, had there been any discussion or plans on how to reunite families at a later date.

While considered missing, many of these younger individuals from newborns to teenagers are now being housed in tents on a number of U. S. Military bases around the country. In most cases, the tents are an upgrade for those whom having been being held in dog cages or chain link fencing. Still, there is a great deal to be done before any of these children can be reunited with guardians or family members.

When kids are taking care of babies, there is a problem. For, many of those in charge of taking care of the youngest of these children often have no experience whatsoever in child care. Whereas, there have also been reports of many being physically or sexually abused, or both at multiple locations while awaiting a reunion. While there has been no proof of such allegations, neither has there been denial on the part of the government or staff at many of these temporary housing facilities.

If the country thought it had immigration problems in the past, the news regarding the present and future aspects of immigration does not look good. For, the United States is a country founded on immigration. In fact, most people in the United States, other than Native Americans are descendants of immigrants. In fact, the President of the United States is married to an immigrant and is the son of a mother, whom only recently gained U. S. Citizenship.

A number of children have been reunited with guardians, parents or family members with the help of attorneys or public agencies. While this is great for those whom have found assistance, there are many others still waiting in the wings. As such, it is feared that many of these individuals may forever be lost in a system without ever knowing what happened to guardians, parents or family members.

While Health and Human Services have been able to house some of the children with distant family members, others are now being housed in hot tents on a number of U. S. Military bases. One such example, is a base outside El Paso which often has temps of over 121 in Summer. At this location, many children are now living in tents with box fans being the only relief from the hot Summer heat.

If anything can be learned from this experience, it is that if the government is going to continue to separate family members at the border, there needs to be some type of logging system. While this is the case, it would be even better if families were never separated in the first place. For, even those whom have been reunited still face a major battle when it comes to finding asylum and a safe place to stay while awaiting decisions with regards to a path to citizenship.




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