Final Report

Where are my parents? A question thousands of children may be asking to the security guards keeping them separated from their families. Children of all ages cross the border with their parents in hope of a new and better life. Whether it be for financial reasons, warfare, or bad living conditions, these families are seeking a better world from which they came from. Instead, they are being torn from their children, even infants, as they cross the border and are forced to give their children to federal border security. Although some may say this is an effective way to prevent families from continuously enter the country illegal, the removal of children from their families is violating their human rights.

One particular story is of a young woman, Mirian, that crosses the border with her 18-month old son, escaping warfare in her home country of Honduras (Dickerson, 2018, p. 1). On February 20, 2018, the political violence had become too much in Honduras and Mirian arrived at the Texas border with Mexico (Dickerson, 2018, p. 1). As she crossed the border of Mexico into Texas, federal agents caught her and her child, then ordering her to place her baby in the government car and they drove away leaving her behind (Dickerson, 2018, p. 1). This was one story of the many that were happening with families crossing into the United States.

The Trump administration brought upon rigid rules as a way to possibly prevent illegal immigration into the country. As stated by Dickerson, “...the Trump administration has in the past said it was considering taking children from their parents as a way to deter migrants from coming here” (Dickerson, 2018, p. 1). This suggests reasoning for what happened to Mirian along with the hundreds of other families that have been crossing the border. Over 700 children were taken from their parents at the border, in which over one hundred were under four years old (Dickerson, 2018, p. 2). Reports were denied by members of Homeland Security, however officials that worked as part of the detainment of the children later confirmed the number was “around 700” (Dickerson, 2018, p. 2). There are no official statistics as to how high the number of detained children are, but newer resources confirm that the numbers are higher.

As stated before, Homeland Security does not confirm estimated statistics as to just how many children have been separated from their families as they crossed the border. As the detainments increased, the severity of these cases also increased, especially with the death of a child while in U.S. custody. On December 6, 2018, Jakelin Amei Rosmery Caal Maquin died at U.S. border patrol (Chalabi, 2018, p. 1). Jakelin was a seven year old girl from Guatemala that had crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with her father to escape poverty (Chalabi, 2018, p. 1). Border security released tha Jakelin had died of dehydration and shock from the separation of her family and her father (Chalabi, 2018, p. 1). This is yet another story of a child taken from her family, and in this case, the extreme happened in which the child passed away.

ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has nine facilities to keep children detained (Chalabi, 2018, p. 1). The length of stay of these children can drastically range. A typical time of stay is between one hundred to two hundred and forty days in detainment (Chalabi, 2018, p. 1). However, if no one legal in the U.S. related to the child is found then the time of detainment can be indefinite and undetermined. As of September of 2018, the most recent released amount of missing children that were detained was close to 1,500, however no records had been updated up until that time. However soon after, the New York Times got an updated estimate that put the number close to 15,000 children taken away from their family and stripped of contact with those they knew. From only April of 2018 to late June of 2018, around 2,600 children had already been removed from their parents once they crossed the border (Anthropology Today, 2018, p. 1). These children escaping poverty were being subjected to worse living conditions that led to further detriment of their health.

Despite various children being withheld from their families, some officials say it is not as a form of punishment. As stated by homeland security officials, written by Dickerson, “...the agency does not separate families at the border for deterrence purposes. “As required by law, D.H.S. must protect the best interests of minor children crossing our borders, and occasionally this results in separating children from an adult”” (Dickerson, 2018, p. 2). This statement given by officials of homeland security suggests the separation of the children from the adult they are traveling with/family is to benefit the child. However, as described by a previous source, children have died whilst being in custody of border security.

As previously stated, some officials with Trumpian beliefs see deterrence and separation of children as a tactic to decrease illegal immigration into the United States. Statistics show that in 2017, prior to deterrence of children, there was an immense drop in illegal entries in the Southwest border (Mexico-U.S. border). However, in 2018, when these actions begun to be carried out by border security, there was a rise in illegal entries. The chart below shows statistics regarding the years 2014 through current 2019 of immigrants that were detained. A total of 107,212 family units were detained and denied entrance into the United States in the fiscal year of 2018 (U.S.Customs and Border Protection, 2018). According to what was written by Dickerson, the statistics should have proved otherwise. Rather an influx of immigration there should have been a eflux, where less immigrants and immigrant families attempted entering the country.

Southwest Border Migration FY2018. (2018, November 9). Retrieved from https://cbp.gov/sites/default/files/u14651/FY18 Migration Graphic Draft 06.jpg

Reports of immigrant children separated from their families has been an ongoing issue in the United States. It became more severe when children were dying while in custody of border control, as seen in the story of Jakelin. Some officials believed deterring children from their families once they crossed the border would benefit the country. They thought this would cause for immigration to decrease, however it did not. Despite claiming the separation being of benefit to the children, with their well being in mind, it is evident that this division and removal of children from their families has not achieved the goal set by Trumpian thinkers and has yet caused death.

Reference Page

Chalabi, M. (2018, December 22). How many migrant children are detained in US custody? Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2018/dec/22/migrant-children-us-custody

Dickerson, C. (2018, April 21). Hundreds of Immigrant Children Have Been Taken From Parents at U.S. Border. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/20/us/immigrant-children-separation-ice.html

Front and Back Covers, Volume 34, Number 5. October 2018. (2018). Anthropology Today, 34(5), I-ii.

Southwest Border Migration FY2018. (2018, November 9). Retrieved from https://cbp.gov/sites/default/files/u14651/FY18 Migration Graphic Draft 06.jpg

U. (2018, November 9). Southwest Border Migration FY2018. Retrieved from https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/sw-border-migration/fy-2018