A staggering 48,610 children without a legal guardian have crossed the US-Mexico border since the beginning of the fiscal year, which began in October, the US Border Patrol revealed.
In the same period, 1.2 million people have crossed the US border illegally, statistics show US Customs and Border Protection show.
In the El Paso sector of the border, 5,800 unaccompanied children have been found near the international border, El Paso Border Patrol Chief Anthony Good tweeted Monday.
The shocking figure was published alongside the image of a young boy who arrived at the border near El Paso, Texas in recent days.
In the photo, a Border Patrol agent kneels with the boy, with the vast desert surrounding them.
“Traveling alone can be a scary and dangerous experience,” the social media post said.
A young boy was found near the US-Mexico border near El Paso, Texas in recent days, the US Border Patrol said
Two Guatemalan brothers, ages 6 and 2, were found with writing on their clothing, leading US law enforcement where their family members in the US could be found September 2022
Texas Border Patrol agents found five unaccompanied migrant children with notes with addresses in New York and Texas.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers found the five young children in Eagle Pass after they crossed the Rio Grande with a group of 60 illegal immigrants
‘The Border Patrol in the El Paso Sector is always prepared to meet and assist this vulnerable population.’
Since the border crisis began in 2021, there have been several heartbreaking cases of young children being smuggled across the border with nothing more than a piece of paper to alert US authorities where their relatives can be found.
Five children, ages 5 to 11, with addresses in New York and Texas, were found last month near the Rio Grande in the Lone Star State.
A little girl’s note read ‘Schenectady, Nueva York’ and contained a name.
Another migrant boy clutched a torn piece of paper with a Texas zip code written on it.
The amount of children arriving at the southern border is on track to surpass 2022 figures – when 158,865 little ones entered the country in a 12-month period, according to federal statistics.
Last year, 145,474 unaccompanied minors—defined by federal immigration officials as any minor traveling with a legal guardian—arrived.
In some cases, the child travels with an aunt, uncle or other relative who does not meet the conditions as a guardian, but in most cases the minors are completely alone.
So far this year, 48,610 unaccompanied minors have crossed the border in this fiscal year, which ends at the end of September
Unaccompanied children end up in residential facilities called the Southwest Keys. The photo above was shared on the organization’s website
Unaccompanied minors who reach the US southern border are not deported to their home countries, which is sometimes not known, as they may arrive without any form of identification.
They can only remain in police custody for up to 72 hours
The children are then placed in the custody of the federal government at the Office of Refugee Resettlement until the child can be reunited with family in the United States or sent back to their home country if there is no family in the United States.
The US policy has resulted in a growing number of illegal immigrants posing as children in an attempt to avoid deportation – with close to 700 young imposters caught in El Paso, Texas in 2022, according to the feds.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement places the children in housing facilities called the Southwest Keys.
‘Most of the young people in our care are between the ages of 13-17, and they often come from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador,’ says the Southwest Keys website.
There are 27 Southwest Keys shelters broken across the border, including 17 in Texas, two in California and eight in Arizona.
“Our goal is to reunite unaccompanied minors with their loved ones or sponsors as quickly as possible while adhering to strict federal requirements to ensure their safety,” the program shared on its website.
‘The typical length of stay for minors in our shelters is 32 days or less.’
While in an institution, the children receive medical care, schooling, religious services and counseling if needed.