Child Immigration Crisis At U.S.- Mexico Border

 

Facts:

1.) There are fewer illegal immigrants in the United States now than there were under Bush.

2.) Obama has deported more illegal immigrants than Bush.

3.) The current crisis is caused by Obama's adherence to Bush's 2008 law.

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Why we don't immediately send migrant children back. "The William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act in 2008...did many things to combat human trafficking worldwide — including providing assistance to foreign governments to combat abuse and increasing penalties for trafficking crimes. A small portion of the bill concerned added protections for unaccompanied children crossing the U.S. border. Specifically, kids from noncontiguous countries would be transferred to the Health and Human Services Department for care and processing. HHS would then be authorized to appoint advocates for the children and could work to unite the kids with families or place them in foster care....Before 2008, DHS had handled unaccompanied minors crossing the border." Brian Resnick in National Journal.

Republicans demand a change to a law that would speed deportations... "Republicans, who have long advocated tougher border security, are demanding legislation to speed deportation of the minors in exchange for new spending. Some House Republicans also say the funds must be offset with cuts elsewhere. Although Obama wants to expedite the deportation of Central American children, many Democrats in Congress disagree with that approach." Heidi Przybyla in Bloomberg.

...along with other immigration policy changes. "Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida wants to require employers to verify electronically that new hires are in the country legally and the government to put in place an electronic entry-exit system at points of entry at the border. He says the border crisis creates an opportunity for policy-makers to finally address broader immigration enforcement. House Speaker John Boehner wants the National Guard to be deployed to provide humanitarian assistance to the children waiting for processing." Fawn Johnson and Rachel Roubein in National Journal.

Obama says he'd be 'happy to consider' sending in the National Guard. "President Barack Obama said Wednesday in Texas he’d be 'happy to consider' sending the National Guard to the border if that’s what it takes to get the votes from the Texas delegation for his $3.7 billion immigration supplemental. In a private meeting, Texas Gov. Rick Perry repeatedly urged the president to deploy the National Guard to the border on his own, Obama said. Obama said he would be 'happy to consider' doing so if that’s the price of getting the Texas delegation’s support for the emergency spending bill." Steven T. Dennis in Roll Call.

Immigrant activists continue to pressure Obama. "Immigrant advocacy groups sued the federal government on Wednesday for what they say is a failure to provide legal representation for immigrant children facing deportation....Attorneys for the groups allege that the government is violating due process by allowing some children to navigate the complex immigration legal system alone....The lawsuit was filed on the same day Justice Department officials announced plans to expedite immigration court proceedings for unaccompanied youth and families, moving them ahead of other cases to be heard by an expanded corps of immigration judges. The department also plans on expanding existing legal assistance programs for those in removal proceedings." Kate Linthicum and Molly Hennessy-Fiske in the Los Angeles Times.

What it's like for the children to represent themselves. "Berta wears a sparkly butterfly shirt, and she's so small that her flip-flops don't touch the blue carpet. At the moment, Berta is representing herself in immigration court, though an adult family friend who speaks English accompanies her. Martinez tells the girl in his booming judicial voice that he is postponing her hearing until late August to give her more time to get an attorney. She smiles bashfully. When he adjourns her case, Berta trots happily out of the courtroom seemingly unaware that she is, in the language of the court, a deportable alien." John Burnett in NPR.

Basically, the border crisis is a no-win situation for Obama. "Two Democrats from Texas representing two neighboring districts each containing hundreds of miles of the border. Two vastly different views of what Obama should do. In a way, it's a pretty perfect metaphor for the unhappy choices Obama faces when dealing with the influx of young illegal immigrants — many of them from Central America. Basically, anything Obama does will be second-guessed and will irritate lots of people. Including, apparently, members of his own party with lots of skin in the game." Aaron Blake in The Washington Post.

Long read: Immigration options vex the White House. Carrie Budoff Brown and Edward Isaac-Dovere in Politico.

What happens when deportation separates parents from their kids? "A new International Migration Review study shows that deported immigrants' desire to reunite with family can often trump the threat of enforcement and lead them to return to the US. That has pretty clear implications for enforcement policy toward unauthorized immigrants who are settled in the United States — especially parents of children who are US citizens. But does the study have any implications for the children and families who've been arriving in the United States from Central America in recent months? The short answer is that it's not clear, because it's not clear how much of a role family reunification plays in driving the current influx....There are definitely some people...who believe that family reunification is a big cause of the current crisis." Dara Lind in Vox.

Explainer: What's causing the crisis? Alan Greenblatt in NPR.

Other immigration reads:

Academics predict long wait for immigration overhaul. Alejandro Davila Fragoso in McClatchy Newspapers.

Boehner lawsuit may include immigration. Lauren French in Politico.

Immigrants sending money back home have fewer options. Kat Chow in NPR.

Economy slows, but doesn't stop, diversity trend. Tim Henderson in Pew Stateline.

CASSELMAN: Immigration is changing much more than the immigration debate. "The immigration debate, now as then, focuses primarily on illegal immigration from Latin America. Yet most new immigrants aren’t Latinos. Most Latinos aren’t immigrants. And, based on the best available evidence, there are fewer undocumented immigrants in the U.S. today than there were in 2007. Even the latest immigration crisis...represents a break from past patterns: The children are from Central America, not Mexico, and are primarily escaping violence in their home countries, rather than seeking jobs in the U.S. The immigration debate gets one thing right: The foreign-born population is growing." Ben Casselman in FiveThirtyEight.

AMBINDER: A great argument for immigration reform — that also kills it until 2016. "The situation actually argues for comprehensive reform — at least in a world where politics and political tribalism matter less. But we don't live in that world....Republicans will use this crisis to blame Obama's enforcement preferences and turn out anti-establishment midterm voters. Liberal groups will try to stop the White House from deporting the tens of thousands of children under any circumstances. One side might have a more moral case for their position than the other, but both will effectively close the casket until the next president's first term." Marc Ambinder in The Week.