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Immigration See other Immigration Articles Title: New surge taking shape along Southwest border; Obama Administration announces plans to expand refugee program for Central Americans New surge taking shape along Southwest border; Obama Administration announces plans to expand refugee program for Central Americans by Chris Chmielenski Fri, Jan 15th During the 2014 border surge that saw nearly 70,000 unaccompanied alien children (UACs) illegally cross the Southwest border, we were told by Obama Administration officials that it was limited to the summer months because of weather. That claim is being proven wrong by a new surge of UACs this winter. FY2016, which began on Oct. 1, 2015, has seen a massive increase of unaccompanied alien children and family units illegally crossing the Southwest border compared to the first three months of FY2015. More than 17,000 illegal-alien minors have crossed since October -- a 117% increase over the same time period in FY2015. The Yuma sector in southwest Arizona -- known as one of the most secure sectors along the southern border -- has seen a five-fold increase in illegal-alien minor crossings since October. The 1,014 apprehensions already this year almost matches the number of apprehensions during ALL of 2014 (1,090 apprehensions) -- the same year as the surge. There were 115 apprehensions of UACs in the Yuma sector over the first three months of FY2015. The Obama Administration has begun making arrangements to house the influx of illegal border crossers, announcing last week that they'll start housing UACs at military bases. Immigration and Customs Enforcement began a series of raids aimed at deporting a small fraction of the Central Americans who came illegally in 2014 and have been ordered removed by an immigration judge. However, it appears that DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson has ended the raids after deporting only a handful of aliens thanks to pressure from congressional Democrats. While we acknowledge that there is violent crime in some Central American countries, escaping violence doesn't qualify an individual for refugee status. Under federal law, a refugee is someone who has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Earlier this week, Roy was on National Public Radio and blamed the surge on the Administration and its unwillingness to help Central Americans in their own countries. (You can hear the entire interview here. Roy starts at the 24 minute mark.) "I think this is a problem of the Administration's doing. But now, they don't want to see tens of thousands, or perhaps hundreds of thousands, of these young people and mothers risking their lives in this way. Two years ago, there was a lot of talk from the Administration about setting up safe places in those countries like you see in the rest of the world. This is what should happen. This is where they should get safety." -- NumbersUSA President Roy Beck. Even though the Obama Administration spoke of helping Central Americans in their own countries during the 2014 surge, is hasn't taken any significant actions. And yesterday, Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the Administration plans to admit 15,000 additional refugees in 2016, including 3,000 Central Americans, reinforcing its commitment to labeling the border surgers as "refugees". The Administration plans to expand the total program to 100,000 in 2017 with additional spots likely reserved for Central Americans. The refugee issue was once again a hot topic during last night's GOP Presidential debates. More Presidential Hopefuls, including Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie, and John Kasich all called for a pause in refugees from the Middle East, and Ben Carson called for the establishment of safe zones in the region. The topic of Central American asylum-seekers didn't come up, but it could if the apprehension numbers continue to persist. Something the Administration is hoping to avoid. Poster Comment: I hear that Nicaragua is the place to be if you have a conference or some other big doings. When the Sandinista's were in charge, they were opposed by the Contra's who were funded by the CIA. Eugene Hasenfus was shot down while running guns in from the airport in Mena, Arkansas in 1986. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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