NEW YORK, November 20 (Sputnik) — The United Nations has called on its member states to end the detention of foreign children while their immigration status is determined, and named the Unites States as one of a dozen countries of concern over a large number of children detained.
“The United States has been chosen as one of twelve focus countries in the global strategy,” the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, said in a statement on Thursday, marking the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
“Children who arrive in another country in search of international protection are extremely vulnerable and have specific needs. We should treat them first and foremost as children, not as illegal aliens,” Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement.
The US saw an influx of some 70,000 unaccompanied child migrants from Central America who travelled through Mexico and reached its southern border over the summer. They are processed in detention centers until their family members in the US are located.
US President Barack Obama speaks of a “broken” US immigration system, but reforms have not been taken up by the House of Representatives. On Thursday, Obama is expected to halt deportation proceedings against some undocumented immigrants in a national televised address. Republicans, in opposition of the Democratic president’s policies, warn against changing immigration rules, saying reforms should not reward people who have entered the US illegally. Others say deportation relief will encourage more Central Americans to risk the journey north, in spite of the many risks.
