Texas Border: 60 Children Cross Without Parents in Maverick County
More unaccompanied children settle in Texas than any other state.
Texas Department of Public Safety encountered 60 children who illegally crossed the border from Mexico without parents or other family members among a larger group of 211 migrants in Maverick County on Sunday, November 24, 2024. The children ranged in age from two to seventeen years old.
"This is a stark example of the precarious journey these children make from their home country & how criminal organizations traffic these children across the southern border & further into the interior," said DPS Spokesperson Lt. Chris Olivarez.
"Regardless of political views, it is unacceptable for any child to be exposed to dangerous criminal trafficking networks. With a record number of unaccompanied children and hundreds of thousands missing, there is no one ensuring the safety & security of these children except for the men & women who are on the frontlines daily. Despite the criticism over the years, the reality is that many children are exploited & trafficked, never to be heard from again." -DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez
Texas DPS Officers have encountered more than 900 children who illegally crossed into the state since their "Operation Lone Star" border security operation began in 2021.
A recent report by GOP Senators - citing US Customs & Border Protection figures- shows the number of unaccompanied migrant children illegally crossing the border into the United States has sharply risen since President Biden took office.
NewsNation’s Ali Bradley reports the “Border Patrol has encountered 3,260 unaccompanied children already this month—226 unaccompanied children (Tuesday, November 18, 2024) alone.”
The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) says over the past ten years the majority (97,801) of unaccompanied children have settled with sponsors in Texas, followed by California with 80,404 children, Florida with 71,899 children, and New York State with 57,980 children
The MPI says most of those children (44,054) have settled in Harris County (Houston), followed by Los Angeles (32, 778), Dallas (17,059), Miami-Dade (15,125) and Palm Beach (13,245).
What should be done about all the unaccompanied children crossing the border into the US?
(Feel free to share your opinion in a comment to this article!)
Abrazos,
Jack Beavers
