NEW YORK, August 16 (RIA Novosti) - An influx of young Central American migrants to the United States has been spurred by lax enforcement of immigration rules, an analyst with The Heritage Foundation David Inserra told RIA Novosti.
“Non-enforcement of US immigration laws through schemes like this administration’s temporary amnesty program for unlawful immigrants who were brought here as children are what have helped lead us to where we are today,” Inserra said.
“When communities in Latin America, or elsewhere in the world for that matter, see that their families, neighbors, and, in this case, children, are able to come illegally to the US, but not be deported, it only encourages more individuals to try to illegally enter the US.”
More than 60,000 unaccompanied children – mostly from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala – have been caught crossing the US-Mexico border illegally since October 2013. They are cared for by the government or US-based relatives until an immigration hearing. Accelerated deportation sessions began in New York this week.
“The US has established law on how to properly enter the US and become an immigrant. While some recommend letting most of these children stay in the US, such a solution ignores that law and creates a clear precedent that US laws do not really matter,” Inserra added.
