Why Did They Come Now?



Map_of_Central_America

Much analysis has been given to the factors that led to the surge in unaccompanied minors from three countries of Central America. The U.S. public and some Central American leaders have laid the blame on the doorstep of the Obama administration for raising expectations that the new illegal aliens would receive “permisos” (Spanish for “permits’)  to stay in the United States.

The administration has denied that the illegal newcomers would be able to stay, while at the same time refusing to revise the legal procedures for handling unaccompanied minors – other than from Mexico or Canada – that has contributed to the impression that once in the United States the illegal alien youth would be able to stay.

The Obama administration has tried to lay the blame on alien smugglers for what is being tagged as a misimpression that there is – or will be – some form of amnesty for the smuggled aliens. Is that a legitimate claim?

When it is kept in mind that the majority of the unaccompanied minors are coming to reunite with parents living illegally in the United States, it is logical to assume that the money funding the smuggling trips is coming from the parents. That implies that the surge in smuggled youth is a response to a surge in parents or other relatives in the United States arriving at the conclusion that now is the time to send for the youth to head north. If that is the case, the message about “permisos” does not originate with the smugglers, but rather with the illegal alien parents living here. Is the parents’ view in error?

The Obama administration policies clearly have contributed to the impression that illegal aliens will get to stay here. Those include a policy of interior enforcement that spares from deportation illegal aliens who do not run afoul of the law, efforts to enact an amnesty to grant them legal status, and the DACA unilateral action of the administration to give legal status and work permits to the so called “dreamer” illegal aliens. This confluence of actions by the administration could hardly leave any other impression on the illegal alien population than that now is the time to exploit the lax immigration enforcement policy of the administration.

Even now that the administration is trying to dig itself out of the hole it created by its policies, it remains to be seen whether the assertions that the newcomers are likely to be deported will change the impression that now is the time to head north. The fact that the White House backed off its initial statement of willingness to remove some of the protections against rapid deportation of unaccompanied minors in the 2008 trafficking victims act has sent the message that the administration is not serious about stemming the new tide of illegal aliens. The statements by President Obama that he is preparing to expand protection against deportation for non-criminal illegal aliens run directly counter to his get tough statements on the current illegal alien surge. And, if Obama can offer the DACA legal status to earlier arrived minors, the illegal alien population may rightly wonder why he can’t he do so as well for the newcomers.

About Author

avatar

Jack, who joined FAIR’s National Board of Advisors in 2017, is a retired U.S. diplomat with consular experience. He has testified before the U.S. Congress, U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform and has authored studies of immigration issues. His national and international print, TV, and talk radio experience is extensive (including in Spanish).

25 Comments

  1. avatar

    Hey, let’s grant amnesty to all the Central American kids. The word will get out and before we know it we’ll have kids from South America, China, India, southeast .Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Russia, etc. Our population will surpass that of China and India in no time. Elbow to elbow people. Won’t that be great. Good thing we’ve got unlimited resources and job opportunities. Just think how happy everyone will be as we struggle for food and water. Thanks Obama!

  2. avatar

    The current response is guaranteeing the next wave will be much, much bigger – perhaps millions. While some claim the flood has slowed down, the desert is also very, very hot but as soon as it starts to cool down with the coming of fall, the flood gates will open as millions of illegals scramble before the November elections to get a piece of the freeby pie.

    And its not just Central America. The southern border agents are detaining people from 53 countries as regulations to fly into Central America are a lot less than flying directly into the US. Once there, they move north to the US border for a mad dash at first opportunity a hole is found. The border agents are demoralized hired to do a job undermined by Obama and Holder. If I were one of them, I would quit.

  3. avatar

    and the “bright side” -not really- is that the problem of the illegals invading the USA will end as soon as the country is no longer being viewed as a lucerative place to move into & this will most likely happen a short time down the road as we are so over-taxed that those “entitlements” are no longer able to be funded? Meanwhile the liberals will have eleminated our military to pour that money into “entitlements” (which of course is expected to keep the takers voting for the politicians providing the “entitlements” ) At that point in time with no free ride the illegals will no longer be pouring across our unprotected border.

  4. avatar

    They come because Obummer invited them and we don’t stop him. He can **** on anyone’s floor in their home and we will just clean it up and say thank you. We are the stupidist Nation since he took over our Government!

  5. Pingback: Why Illegal Aliens from Nicaragua Aren’t Flocking to the U.S.

    • avatar

      Yes, lax or no law enforcement, B>S>, from “bleeding heart” Democrats and a well organized underground, anti-American, Pro-Amnesty Scam. A chart shows it costs this country 80 billion dollars a year for benefits for 8 million illegal aliens in the 15 States with the largest IA’s in the country. Another 50 to 100 billion in tax and fraud scams. But whose counting? Certainly, not the U.S. government with no controls or accounting for even 1 cent in this country! It is disgraceful and an assault on the few taxpayers left in the U.S.

  6. avatar

    DACA has taken a year and a half to process roughly half a million applications, and it’s diverted funds from fees paid by LEGAL immigrants to do it, since the $465 fee for the work permit does NOT cover the full cost of processing the waiver of deportation AND the permit. Now, who’s going to pay to hire and train bureaucrats to process several million applications in roughly 2 years? By law, immigrants have to pay for this themselves.

    • avatar
      arnlof sweigeir ft on

      U r insane…… It is all pure earnings…… All it is is fill out a piece of paper… And no deportations….it is a money making machine ….just like pay tolls and traffic tickets……u dummy!!!!

          • avatar

            such as Kay!!!…..I am with you pal when you recognize, you are an illiterate Kay…..research the percent of illiterate Americans…..it is eye-opening….but you Kay need to go back to school…..

      • avatar

        arnlof, in order to get a work permit, you need to first get a waiver of deportation. And do you have any idea of what ONE federal worker to process that and the work permits costs in salary and benefits? How like a supporter of illegal aliens to believe that all the services they get are cost-free. Sure they are–to THEM.

        • avatar
          arnlof sweigeir ft on

          Use your brains once in a while…… That person then will lay taxes and the fee for the permit generate wealth to the system u silly boy…..

  7. avatar
    maxwell713bill on

    What about Cuba? Does the thousands of Cubans coming across the border get automatic asylum since they are stepping onto US soil? If so let us put a stop to it!

    • avatar
      arnlof sweigeir ft on

      U …what about it? Really….u have your senator Rubio….grand child of an illegal…100% Cuban made….. Florida invaded by lazy Cubans…. But no kick out the hard working Mexicans…….. U r asleep your are too late PAL……Florida has been taken…

      • avatar

        Talk about lazy, ARENOT – you cannot write a coherent sentence. U R 2 lazy 2 rite a correct sentence. Either you R highly uneducated R just 2 lazy 2 write sensibly 0r a troll? Or all 3?

        • avatar

          Kay it shows you have no education and the least a HS diploma and u lack of the 21st century tech skills…….read posts around the net………people right letters instead of……..educate yourself ….come ouf of the pile of the obsolete!!!!

          • avatar

            I have a college degree, thank you. And when I was talking about the illiterate -I was referring to ARENOT the troll, not Beach girl, whom I thoroughly agree with.

          • avatar

            I was talking about you Kay…………………..Arnlof brought up facts…..every single one of them about Rubio………I see him being the illiterate her but you….really….;about our political candidates and history behind Florida….you are the King of Illiterates if so…….if you do not understand what he wrote I wonder how you finished College at all…….

          • avatar

            I was talking about you Kay…………………..Arnlof brought up facts…..every single one of them about Rubio………I do not see him being the illiterate here but you….really….;about our political candidates and history behind Florida….you are the King of Illiterates if so…….if you do not understand what he wrote I wonder how you finished College at all…….

          • avatar

            People write, not right! I am not a King, please. Troll has a disgusting way of generalizing – as “lazy Cubans.” It is one thing to stand up for your point of view – it is another to slam a race or ethnic group!

      • avatar
        arnlof sweigeir ft on

        Sorry jay I meant. Riminak Cubans back in Kennedys time as Castro sent the worst back the …..to to Cuba where u. One from them