Deported Children Abandoned in Mexico
August 15th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
A new study finds that unaccompanied children are being abandoned on the Mexican side of the border at an alarming pace.
In the last seven months, U.S. authorities have deported at least 90,000 children to Mexico, according to a study by the Mexican Government’s Commission on Population, Border and Immigration Affairs.
At least 13,500 of these children ages 17 and under were deported to Mexican border states but never reconnected with their parents or legal guardians. Many of these children have resorted to begging with the hopes of crossing into the United States again to be reunited with family members, according to the study. Other abandoned children are being cared for by churches and non-governmental organizations.
Many of these children were caught while being smuggled into the United States. U.S. authorities typically funnel the children through an “expedited” deportation process — sending them back to Mexico in a matter of hours.
The study cites another disturbing statistic: for every three adults deported to Mexico, one child is left abandoned in the United States.
Mexican border governors met with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff about the deportations in February in Washington, D.C.
One of the biggest problems is lack of coordination between the U.S. and Mexican authorities. Jose Guadalupe Osuna Millan, governor of Baja California, told Chertoff that many children end up homeless because Mexican authorities are not advised when the children will arrive and don’t have time to find appropriate housing for them.
Eugenio Javier Hernandez Flores, the governor of Tamaulipas, said that his state receives 35,000 deported immigrants a year, many of them children. “Our governments need to work on a procedure for these undocumented children,” he said.
The Mexican governors said that among the children there were also South American and Central American children being deported to Mexico.
Edmundo Ramirez Martinez, Secretary of the Commission on Population, Borders and Migrant Affairs, told Mexican legislators that the International Convention on the Rights of Children requires that children be “repatriated” to their home countries rather than “deported.”
Repatriation means that the United States would return the child back to his or her specific home rather than abandon the child at the border.
Repatriating children, however, would cost the U.S. more time and money.
Money and effort the Bush administration thus far isn’t willing to invest.
August 16th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
[…] Some Child Left Behind Posted on August 16, 2008 by Aunt B. I keep thinking how history will judge us, what the folks will make of the ways in which we lied to ourselves about what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. From the small stuff–like the great “local” support for Eric Crafton’s English-only legislation, which turns out to have been funded all by one out of state group–to the stuff so terrible you almost can’t bear to look at–like us dumping 14,000 kids in Mexico alone, without their parents, because as much as we don’…. […]
August 16th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
This is an extremely serious matter. This should NOT be going on. Where is the government of Mexico. Don’t they care for their own citizens? Why do they not step up and take just the minimum care of their own children? Are they that callous?
“Money and effort the Bush administration thus far isn’t willing to invest.”
The word you were searching for but unable to find was “spend” vice “invest”.
These are Mexican citizens. Why isn’t the Mexican government willing to spend a few pesos? That’s the better question.
August 17th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Just when I think I have heard every thing, along comes something that I find truly shocking. This is TRULY SHOCKING. What is the matter with our country, that ANYONE would think this is appropriate,much less actually do it?
August 17th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Hi Melissa
I was just watching PBS quite by accident when I saw the piece on the Wall/Fence in texas and came across you explaining the clever little subcontracting job HLS did to give the gig to Boeing. I really appreciate your efforts and your ability to spell this garbage out for people. It’s ironic that a measure taken against immigrants has burned as many American property owners as it has when you hear the anti-immigrant rhetoric whipped up by the right wing noise machine. I swiped some of your piece and blogged it. Keep up the great work.
August 17th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
This is very sad news. For all the anti-Latino and anti-immigrant rhetoric that we are bombarded with, does anyone not stop to think of the most vulnerable? I guess “patriotism” trumps human rights for the nativist crowd.
August 17th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
This is a disgrace. Another cog in the U.S. deportation machine that is ruining the entire Western Hemisphere.
August 17th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
[…] Number of children deported by U.S. into Mexico in past 7 months: 90, 000 […]
August 17th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
We complain about China’s human rights violations when we treat children like this? We’ve forgotten the humanity in immigrants and sadly children.
August 18th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Scott, It appears that both governments take blame for this horrendous violation of human rights. And while yes, Mexico needs to organize its resources and quick, a huge part of the problem is the fact that the US deports people without giving warning to the receiving country. To abandon children like that, in Mexico and in the US, is a crime against humanity.
August 18th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Melissa:
Thanks.
You are the best.
(A border resident)
August 18th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Another disgusting bit of irony from the administration who brought us No Child Left Behind or as its known No Child Left Untested. W won’t spend any money on abandoned Mexican kids but he’ll borrow up a storm to send our kids into battle for the sake of his big oil sleazebags profiteers.
August 18th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
what parent would leave their children behind i dont care what the needs are parents are responsible for their children welfare, why dump the kids anywhere and then they come looking for the parents mexico is responsible for those children if mexico had it their way they would want us to look for the parents and for us to educate them free, have them on medicaid and send money home for the rest of their lives here no no deport the children let mexico take care of them we are not responsible for other peoples children
August 18th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
It doesn’t matter where these children are from or what their nationality is, the U.S. government is completely at fault for abandoning minors that were under its supervision. Shame on the U.S. government.
August 24th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Hola Melissa…
For some time now, we’ve been fighting to expose Hutto, where the immigrant children have been imprisoned in 8′ x 12′ cells for profit…at the tune of about $10-15K per month. Since we started protesting Hutto, the population has dropped significantly. Most of this year, I’ve been saying that Hutto is now a decoy for a darker picture. While we are very focused on Hutto, innocent children are being swept up en mass during all these ICE raids and the Hutto population is decreasing. I keep asking where they’re being taken…in conformity with the Reno vs. Flores case.
Your incredible reporting confirms my deepest concerns about the immigrant children. We WILL do something about this! We must. A child imprisoned or maltreated by our government is being done by us…robbing America of all moral dignity.
In America…children must be free. No child should be left behind…bars!
Free the Children.
Jay
August 24th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
We are under the control of a rogue government that commits crimes wherever and whenever it pleases, in our name. It will continue to do so as long as we permit it. Unless we impeach and try this administration for its crimes WHILE IN OFFICE, the evils, regardless of the November outcome, will continue to be part of our national ethos in perpetuity. Everyone who is appalled by this and other crimes of this administration needs to sign on to Dennis Kucinich’s effort to get one million Americans behind impeachment of Bush and Cheney for presentation on September 10. Please go to
, sign on, and learn what else you can do to help restore our integrity as a nation.
August 26th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
I believe it was the Marquis de Lafayette who, long ago, said “America is great because she is good. When America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”
August 27th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
I hope you don’t mind - I put a link to this on my blog. This is just so shocking & unbelievable. Thank you so much for making sure this gets out for public view.
October 2nd, 2008 at 11:20 am
Scott, I think that rather than talking nonsense, you should inform yourself, Mexico invests a great amount of money (no matter the currency) on protecting the people the US government treats like criminals, and has many organizations and institutions working on the abandoned and DEPORTED children by the US (the so called “must democratic and just country of the world”), and if they are on American soil, you should know Mexico has no jurisdiction, so there fore can only act on a very limited manner. And if it’s “illegal immigrants” who worry you, or how a Mexican parent can go on searching for a better life to provide for their families, you need also to know, how dangerous is to cross the border and how difficult the US government is making life for immigrants in soli, and that’s the reason they don’t take their children along with them on their own journey to the States, but live them behind until thy can settle themselves and have a better way of getting their children to the US, to a better life. CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE DEPORTED, THEY SHOUL BE REUNITED WITH THEIR FAMILIES, or at the very least re-patriated safely back to their countries of origin
October 8th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
The kids were abandoned by their parents when they gave them to the alien smugglers.
October 13th, 2008 at 6:18 am
I agree that children should not be left with no one to take care of them or to see them back where they need to go, I do not see where it is the U.S. fault, when Mexico should already have a program set up to recieve children no matter if they have warning or not. It should be there all the time. Mexico should take responsibilty for their citizens. I a by far agianst immigrants. But it is the fault of the Mexican Government that has driven the people of Mexico to the point of going through what they do to get out of Mexico. As far as Mexico haveing no control of what goes on in U.S. it is also the same for the U.S. We have no authority in Mexico either.
November 20th, 2008 at 9:59 am
[…] The study cites another disturbing statistic: for every three adults deported to Mexico, one child is left abandoned in the United States.—Deported Children Abandoned in Mexico […]
November 23rd, 2008 at 8:00 pm
This is so confusing.
What’s not reported here, is that many children have been sold by their parents, or kidnapped. Then they are smuggled into the States to be sold again. This time to be pimped out, or as sex slaves.
Where are the articles on that? Well, unfortunately those are underground dealings that are difficult to ferret out.
What to do??
November 25th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Thanks for drawing attention to this. The first step is to tell the truth about it, and to reach out to whoever can hear. Dreadful situation.
December 2nd, 2008 at 1:24 pm
This is horrible. We should feel great about who we have become as people. To think this is ok is just an outrage.
December 9th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
What is the name of the “study” being referenced in this story? Who produced the “study?”
I am graduate student and I working on a project related to this subject.
I would like more statistical information.
Michele