Perry blamed the influx of children on President Obama, complaining that there are not enough border patrol agents along the border between Texas and Mexico (despite agents monitoring every mile of the border every day). Raddatz pushed back, noting that the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 requires that those seeking refugee status from Central American countries receive due process:
Despite Perry’s suggestion, President Obama did not create the migrant children influx. The current process of dealing with unaccompanied children from countries other than Mexico was set by the Bush administration, according to Dara Lind at Vox. Under the law, the Border Patrol agency is required to take in these children, screen and vaccinate them, then turn them over to the Department of Health of Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).
As Raddatz noted, the Customs and Border Protection Agency launched an ad campaign last week aimed at discouraging child refugees from coming to the United States and has stepped up efforts to deport those who do. He also requested last week that Congress make changes to the law to expedite deportation decisions.
NFTOS
STAFF WRITER
