Outrage over Central American crisis

Are they cattle or kids?  And who cares, anyway?

It took the publication of photos showing children huddled together like frightened livestock in a Texas holding facility while they wait processing, to get us to pay attention to the humanitarian crisis that is happening at our southern border.

Since October, 52,000 children have entered the U.S., primarily from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.  They flee for their lives, in the face of violence from drug gangs, domestic abuse, and extreme poverty.

In the Bay Area, there are an estimated 350 children from Central America showing up alone each month, overwhelming the non-profit organizations that provide them and their families with assistance.

U.S. foreign and economic policy has contributed to the destabilization of these countries over the past decade; yet, our politicians for the most part, do nothing to meaningfully address immigration reform.  There is a stalemate with no end in sight.

Where is our compassion? We are talking about children ranging in age from 5 to 21 years old. Their journey is perilous.  In the hands of smugglers who make between $2000 and $9000 per child, these kids put garlic on their shoes to repel rattlesnakes, collide with cactus in the night, and ride precariously on tops of moving trains.  Once they arrive, we detain them in overcrowded, unsanitary, dismal detention centers. 

This week the UN high commission for refugees called for Central American migrants to be treated as refugees displaced by armed conflict. “The US and Mexico should recognize that this is a refugee situation, which implies that they shouldn’t be automatically sent to their home countries but rather, receive international protection,” the agency said.

ref·u·gee,

refyo͝oˈjē,ˈrefyo͝oˌjē/

noun: refugee; plural noun: refugees1.a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster."tens of thousands of refugees fled their homes"
Synonyms:  émigré, fugitive, exile, displaced person, asylum seeker, boat people.

But Americans are not talking about officially changing the status of these children.  Instead, Congressional Republicans, as well as the Obama administration have proposed ending a 2008 law mandating that child migrants must appear before an immigration judge. Border Patrol agents could decide whether to deport them or allow them an additional hearing. Wrong.

Obama requested $3.7 billion in emergency funds that would be used to strengthen border security, provide more overtime pay for border patrol agents, hire additional immigration judges to expedite processing, provide funds to pursue smugglers, create more detention centers, and help Central American countries repatriate people sent back.  Wrong again.

Why are we spending all this money to send innocent children back into intolerable conditions? We must find humanitarian answers, create new immigration laws and apply funds to efforts that actually help these people. 

I am reminded of the Kindertransport that took place in WWII, where about 10,000 Jewish children were sent to England and adopted by foster families, or placed in schools and hostels.  This effort was spurred by British public opinion, and organized by refugee aid committees. Private citizens or organizations had to guarantee to pay for each child's care, education, and eventual emigration from Britain. In return for this guarantee, the British government agreed to allow unaccompanied refugee children to enter the country on temporary travel visas. Call me simplistic, but this seems like a much better way to go.