Drawings by immigrant children

[_Dr. Shades]

It's obvious that NOBODY wants children to be incarcerated like this (or like anything else, for that matter).

Even so, I heard that until recently it was common practice that if any illegal immigrant had a child with him or her and said that the child was his or her kid, then the person would not be detained or otherwise questioned and would be sent on their merry way. Then, in a best case scenario, the child would be picked up by someone else along the circuit, returned to Mexico, handed off to the next immigrant, then lather, rinse, repeat.

Therefore, the policy, in some (or many?) cases, led to children being bought or kidnapped to make this happen. Or, worse yet, it facilitated easy human trafficking of children. We're seeing this whole incarceration phenomenon because someone finally figured out what's going on and wanted to put a stop to it.

So again, nobody wants to see children incarcerated, but I heard that they're there while the authorities try to verify who their actual parents are, and not because someone is trying to punish them for crossing the border.

[_Chap]

I heard that until recently it was common practice that if any illegal immigrant had a child with him or her and said that the child was his or her kid, then the person would not be detained or otherwise questioned and would be sent on their merry way.

Well, that may be true. Or it may not be.

But since this is a serious matter, I am sure you will want to offer documentation of what has happened, and some evidence-based estimate of the relative frequency with which it happened in relation to border-crossing juveniles. And how low would the proportion of kids involved in such alleged trickery have to be in order for you to think it unjustifiable to incarcerate all kids because of a small number who might be involved in fakery?

[_ajax18]

If Americans are so mean and racist for having a border, what does that make the wealthy Mexican people who rather than help their own peoples children lock their mansions and their bank accounts and throw these children at the mercies of their terrible racist neighbors in the north?

[_Markk]

It's obvious that NOBODY wants children to be incarcerated like this (or like anything else, for that matter).

Even so, I heard that until recently it was common practice that if any illegal immigrant had a child with him or her and said that the child was his or her kid, then the person would not be detained or otherwise questioned and would be sent on their merry way. Then, in a best case scenario, the child would be picked up by someone else along the circuit, returned to Mexico, handed off to the next immigrant, then lather, rinse, repeat.

Therefore, the policy, in some (or many?) cases, led to children being bought or kidnapped to make this happen. Or, worse yet, it facilitated easy human trafficking of children. We're seeing this whole incarceration phenomenon because someone finally figured out what's going on and wanted to put a stop to it.

So again, nobody wants to see children incarcerated, but I heard that they're there while the authorities try to verify who their actual parents are, and not because someone is trying to punish them for crossing the border.

I have nephew in law that is a border patrol officer....he is stationed in Montana/Canada, but served 3 or 4 years in El Paso...and he recently had to come down and serve 30 day rotations in Yuma. He and his family stayed with us for a while a few months ago.

I picked his brain a lot for his opinions...first of all he said they never separate children from their parents unless their parents have a hold, or warrant...then they make every effort to put them with a family member.

People are screened, then basically given a summons to appear in front of a immigration judge and released in the US. Most just shine it on.

The children and adults are in detention centers, not prisons...the same ones that Clinton, Bush and Obama used.

He told me they have like 30 thousand people coming into his station a month, and the best day he had he processed 8 people.

He also noted that most in his sector are from Central America, not Mexico.

[_Dr. Shades]

But since this is a serious matter, I am sure you will want to offer documentation of what has happened, and some evidence-based estimate of the relative frequency with which it happened in relation to border-crossing juveniles.

Of course I will want to. Unfortunately, I can't, 'cause I don't have any official estimates.

And how low would the proportion of kids involved in such alleged trickery have to be in order for you to think it unjustifiable to incarcerate all kids because of a small number who might be involved in fakery?

That's a good question, but I'm leaning toward the practice being justified if it stops even ONE child from being sold into sex slavery.

[_Jersey Girl]

That's a good question, but I'm leaning toward the practice being justified if it stops even ONE child from being sold into sex slavery.

Sold into sex slavery by whom, Shades?

So again, nobody wants to see children incarcerated, but I heard that they're there while the authorities try to verify who their actual parents are, and not because someone is trying to punish them for crossing the border.

Are they being DNA tested?

[_canpakes]

I heard that until recently it was common practice that if any illegal immigrant had a child with him or her and said that the child was his or her kid, then the person would not be detained or otherwise questioned and would be sent on their merry way.

Well, that may be true. Or it may not be.

But since this is a serious matter, I am sure you will want to offer documentation of what has happened, and some evidence-based estimate of the relative frequency with which it happened in relation to border-crossing juveniles.

I'm a bit curious as to how these masses of kids claimed as being used in this scenario manage to pass back across the border into Mexico so successfully, presumably along with an accompanying coyote as escort, to await assignment to a new migrant family.

The movement of immigrants northward seems pretty easy to see and document, but there seems to be very little to be found regarding this mass migration of children back down to the border and across into Mexico.

Strange, this is. 0_o

[_Dr. Shades]

Sold into sex slavery by whom, Shades?

The ones who kidnap or buy them, I would assume.

Are they being DNA tested?

I don't know, but if not, they should be.

I'm a bit curious as to how these masses of kids claimed as being used in this scenario manage to pass back across the border into Mexico so successfully, presumably along with an accompanying coyote as escort, to await assignment to a new migrant family.

Is it difficult to cross the border from the United States into Mexico?

[_Jersey Girl]

Are they being DNA tested?

I don't know, but if not, they should be.

We make me sick, Shades.

[_canpakes]

I'm a bit curious as to how these masses of kids claimed as being used in this scenario manage to pass back across the border into Mexico so successfully, presumably along with an accompanying coyote as escort, to await assignment to a new migrant family.

Is it difficult to cross the border from the United States into Mexico?

This would be an excellent question to ask the source of this story about children casually crossing back and forth across the border by the apparent thousands, in order to pose as children of others who also want to cross.

According to a few dozen online sources, anyone passing into Mexico from the US side will need documentation that shows proof of American citizenship such as a birth certificate, a certificate of citizenship or naturalization or a Certificate of Indian Status, plus a photo ID.

A Mexican National entering the US would be required to present a passport and valid visa issued by a U.S. Consular Official, unless they are in possession of a Form DSP-150, B-1/B-2 Visa and Border Crossing Card, containing a machine-readable biometric identifier, issued by the Department of State and is applying for admission as a temporary visitor for business or pleasure from contiguous territory by land or sea (1). Presumably, a Mexican National within the States and exiting at the border would be required to show this ID/documentation.

(1) https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail ... ernational

If these thousands of kids are passing back and forth across the border, then I'm guessing that they'd be too valuable a commodity to take through the desert via coyote, regardless of no available data existing regarding any significant number of people - children or otherwise - trying to slip across the border into Mexico from the US side. And they'd probably not be in possession of the proper paperwork to be passing through at border crossings, either unaccompanied or with non-relatives.

So, how is this working?

Methinks that this 'child for rent' theory needs some revamping from the folks presenting it before it can be taken as seriously as they'd like.