Experts discuss the migration landscape to the US for unaccompanied children and adolescents

El University Center for Social Sciences and Humanities (CUCSH) The University of Guadalajara hosted the presentation of the research Current trends in human mobilityThe event was led by Dr. Aída Silva Hernández, a graduate of the Autonomous University of Baja California; she was accompanied by Dr. Ofelia Woo Morales and Dr. Robert Curley, Coordinator of the doctorate in Social Sciences at said institution.

The research focuses on children and adolescents who are forced to migrate without documentation from Mexico and Central America to the United States without their parents or guardians. According to the statistics presented, from 2010 to 2018 there was an increase in the number of children attempting to cross the border from Mexico into the U.S. due to factors such as insecurity in their home countries, forced displacement, reuniting with family members (in many cases, their parents), and the search for a better life. 

“For many migrants, the United States is perceived as a safe country; however, this country does not intend to protect displaced people, even when they are minors,” Silva Hernández commented. 

Currently, the U.S. offers only one way for migrant children and adolescents to enter the country legally: by applying for International Protection. Experts describe this process as exhausting, lengthy, and arduous for minors. This process, which can take more than two years, is typically handled by lawyers and the children themselves, while the costs are covered by sponsors, who are usually family members already living in the U.S.

“Minors face arduous and lengthy processes to obtain residency in the United States. Many of those surveyed have stated that they feel powerless and sad during this process, but to date there is no study that shows the psychological damage it causes to minors,” the researcher added. 

For this investigation, 44 minors were interviewed, all of whom were able to reunite with their families in the United States. Currently, despite its enormous migrant flow, the US has refused to sign the Convention on the Protection of Migrant Children and Adolescents, proposed by international organizations to guarantee the protection of children and adolescents. 

“When children and minors are not accepted in the United States, they have to appeal to a judge to have their case reconsidered; however, while this is happening, they are often repatriated to their place of origin, causing psychological damage to them.”

It is expected that the US will soon accept the various proposals sent by international organizations such as the UN and UNICEF, in order to guarantee the protection of basic human rights for girls, boys and adolescents who have the need to go through a migration process. 

To view all the graphs and data that make up this research, you can access the website of Dr. Aída Silva Hernández. 

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Aida-Silva-Hernandez

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Text: Anashely Fernanda Elizondo Corres
Photo: Abraham Aréchiga