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July 8, 2014

Protest Held at White House over Obama's Handling of Migrant Children 
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In the United States, immigrant advocates gathered at the White House to
criticize the Obama administration's treatment of immigrant children
fleeing violence and poverty in Central America. More than 52,000
unaccompanied children from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras have
been seized at the U.S. border since October, about double the amount
over the same period last year. Protesters say many of the children are
trying to rejoin their families.

Cindy Monge, CASA in Action: "We're going to take action on this. We
want these kids to reunite with their parents, because that's what they
came here for. It's not their fault. Some of them don't even know what's
happening. They don't know what they're doing. They're just told, 'Go
with so and so and get here.' Like, that's what happened to me. They
were just like, 'You go with these people, and we're going to see you
back here.'"

The Obama administration is poised to ask Congress for $2 billion to pay
for more detention centers and immigration judges to handle the influx.
The White House said Monday most of the children are unlikely to qualify
for humanitarian relief and would be deported. According to the U.N.
high commissioner for refugees, 58 percent of unaccompanied children
detained by the United States could be entitled to refugee protections
under international law.

 

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