Increase in Unaccompanied Immigrant Minor Crossings

Although illegal immigration to the US seems to be generally on the wane, for which the Trump administration is happy to claim credit, the number of families and unaccompanied immigrant minors crossing the US border since May has increased.

Many experts believe that the increase may result from talk of an amnesty for Dreamers – the young undocumented immigrants who came to the US as minors. According to the fiscal 2017 year figures released by the Department of Homeland Security, 40 percent more undocumented immigrants were arrested in the US in 2017 than 2016. The figures show that such policies make a difference, according to Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies.

Vaughan says it will take time to address such crossings, noting that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is constrained by court rulings, that minors cannot be detained, and that parents are also exempt in most cases. Vaughan adds that talk of an amnesty for young undocumented immigrants is likely to increase attempts by young people to enter the US illegally, particularly if they are unaware of the details surrounding the deferred action program.

At a press conference on Tuesday, the acting deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Patrol, Ronald Vitiello, said that the agency remained concerned by the steady flow of immigrant families and unaccompanied minors from Central America. He added that the trend has been enabled by policy and legal loopholes, which are then exploited by criminal human trafficking organizations.