There has been a spike in the number of unaccompanied minors migrating from Central America into the U.S to be reunited with relatives that had already crossed the U.S border. This number reached a new record in December of 2022. This year on January 26th Federal Mexican agents found over 50 immigrant minors in a truck at a checkpoint in Chihuahua, Mexico which alerted civil organizations and allowed them to investigate what was happening. However, this number has been lowering since the administration of Biden and some of the new migrant restrictions placed.
The first article comes from teleSUR. It talks about how the number of immigrants trying to cross the border has surprised people again. Despite their being immigration restrictions there are still many minors trying to cross the border. Which leads people to wonder how they are crossing the border and if these children are being placed under guardianship what is happening to them during that time. However, in January of 2022 Mexico and the U.S agreed to expedite the reunification of migrant children.
The second article is from the worker’s rights. This article was a part of the introduction in the article from teleSUR. It focuses on the children being transported in a truck which were found at the checkpoint in Chihuahua, Mexico. It does not go into too much detail on what happened to the kids except where they were sent after being discovered. It also brings up another group of children found crossing the border earlier in the year however they were crossing the Rio Grande which is considered a painful journey and one of the largest obstacles.
The articles do not differ much however one does have more data on how many kids have been reported as unaccompanied and what has been done by the state so far. The article from teleSUR also explains some statistics and how many children have returned to their countries. I think the stories differ because one if more focused on a specific event while the other talks about immigration as a whole and what has been happening. This matters because it shows how the immigration has been fluctuating and what restrictions or actions have been taken so far. It tells us about specific and the occurrences of migration as a whole and not just every time children are found at the border.
These articles relate to the class because immigration is not something new, it has been happening for many years and it does not just affect the U.S. There are various other countries that get immigrants, and it is not just Central Americans that immigrate to other countries as well. Such as Italians moving to the U.S, or Colombians in Spain. It also relates to how each country is and has been taking actions towards these events. We mainly know about immigrants coming to the U.S. but there are also other countries going through the same thing so we can see how they differentiate in their regulations and laws.
Sources:
“Rise in Unaccompanied Migrant Children at U.S.-Mexico Border” teleSUR 5 February 2023