Illegal immigrant children, non-Mexicans surge across border at record rate
Mr. Obama has been pleading with Congress to enact a more lenient policy toward illegal immigrants, but his efforts took a hit when tens of thousands of children and families surged across the border in the first half of 2014. The administration was caught off guard and had to scramble to try to gain a handle on matters.
At the height of the surge, some 10,000 children crossed per month. The number dropped to about 2,000 a month earlier this year but has risen steadily back to nearly 5,000 a month in September and October, and is on pace for about 5,000 in November.
The surge of illegal immigrant children puts a strain on other parts of government.
Under federal policy children from noncontiguous countries who are apprehended without being accompanied by parents are required to be processed and quickly released to the Department of Health and Human Services, which then tries to place them with relatives or in foster homes. Local school districts have struggled to accommodate the children, many of whom lag behind their age level in education and struggle with learning English.
More than 4,600 children were turned over to HHS in October, and November was headed even higher, with HHS predicting 4,900 children will be sent to its custody.
Once with families, the children usually skip their deportation hearings and disappear into the shadows with the 11 million other illegal immigrants already here.
The rising tide of illegal immigrants could also feed into the presidential campaign, where Republican hopeful Donald Trump has called for building more fencing.
Even Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton recently bragged about her 2006 vote in favor of erecting 700 miles of two-tier fencing along the southwest border.
That law was watered down a year later, at the behest of then-Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas Republican, and less than 40 miles of two-tier fencing has been built. Another 310 or so miles of single-tier fencing was built, along with 300 miles of vehicle barriers that allow people and animals to cross.
