EmilyBerry

Mrs.Hathaway
English
July23th2015
2.13Problem/SolutionEssaySubmissionDraft

65,000unaccompaniedchildrenagesinfantto17yearsoldareattheAmericanborder.
Mostly,theycomefromCentralAmericancountrieslikeGuatemalaandHonduras.Mostof
thesekidsarecurrentlyawaitingtrialinsheltersscatteredacrossAmerica,andothersarestaying
withrelativeswhoareAmericancitizens.AccordingtoTheGuardian,manygirlsareoften
survivorsofrapeandsexualabuse(DaSilvaIddings).Infact,rapeissuchafrequentoccurrence
crossingtheborder,thatwomenhavereportedtakingcontraceptivestopreventunwanted
pregnancies.Ifparentsknowthedangersofcrossingtheborder,whydotheysendtheirchildren
onthejourney?Becausetheirchildrenareindesperateneed,fleeingfromdeaththreatsbygangs
whocontrolmostofthecountries.TheU.Sshouldtakeintheunaccompaniedchildrenatthe
borderbecausethechildrenaresearchingforprosperity,becauseoftheWilliamWilberforce
TraffickingVictimsProtectionReauthorizationActof2008,andbecauseIbelievetheU.S.plays
aroleinthecurrentimmigrationcrisis.

Thechildrenattheborderaresearchingforprosperity.Theirsearchingforabetterlife,
theirnotcomingacrossthebordertocommitcrimes.AccordingtoImmigrationPolicyCenter,
crimerateshavedeclinedasimmigrationhasincreased.Theywrite,Evenastheundocumented

populationhasdoubledto12millionsince1994,theviolentcrimerateintheUnitedStateshas
declined34.2percentandthepropertycrimeratehasfallen26.4percent.Thisprovesthatthe
majorityofimmigrantscrossingthecountry,arenottheseviolentcriminalsthemediais
portrayingthemtobe.Theyalsocomparedyoungmen,bothnativebornandunauthorized
immigrants,Amongmenage1839(whocomprisethevastmajorityoftheprisonpopulation),
the3.5percentincarcerationrateofthenativebornin2000was5timeshigherthanthe0.7
percentincarcerationrateoftheforeignborn.Anewreportin2013,byPewResearch,showed
similarresults.25%ofnativebornU.Scitizensaged16yearshavecommittedacrimewithinthe
pastyear.Ifyoutakethatnumberandcompareittothe17percentofforeignborn16yearolds
intheU.Sthathavecommittedacrime,itsveryhardtoarguethatthereisacorrelationbetween
crimeandimmigration.Infact,BiancaE.Bersani,asociologistattheUniversityof
MassachusettsBoston,arguesthatcrimeraterisesamongsecondgenerationimmigrants,when
theyassimilateintotheAmericanculture,Secondgenerationimmigrantsappeartobe
catchinguptoandresemblethetypicalnativebornwhitepopulation,atleastinregardtotheir
offendingprofile,shewrote.Thesefindingssuggestthatthechildrenofimmigrantsseemingly
fallpreytocriminogenicinfluencesinsimilarwaysthatnativebornyouthdo.Thesechildren
areoftenmistakenforcriminals,whichisanactofignorance.Mothersaresendingtheirchildren
totrytoliveprosperouslivesinAmerica.

Anothermisconceptionisthatwecansimplysendthembacktotheircountryoforigin.
whyaren'tweputtingthemonabuslikewenormallydoandsendingthembackdownto
Guatemala?RepresentativeMikeRogers,arepublicanfromMichiganaskedDepartmentof

HomelandSecuritysecretaryJehJohnson.Johnsonreplied,Thelawthatwascreatedin2008
requiresthatweturnthesekidsoveriftheyareunaccompaniedtotheDepartmentofHealth
andHumanServiceswithin72hoursgenerally.Thatswhatwedo.Thisisverytrue.George
W.BushsignedintolawtheWilliamWilberforceTraffickingVictimsProtection
ReauthorizationActof2008.Infact,thislawwassononcontroversialthatitpassed
unanimously.Itwaspassedtoensurethatchildrenwouldn'tbesentimmediatelybackinto
dangeroussituations.TheNewYorkTimeswrites,itrequiredthattheybegivenanopportunity
toappearatanimmigrationhearingandconsultwithanadvocate,anditrecommendedtheyhave
accesstocounsel.ItalsorequiredthattheybeturnedovertothecareoftheDepartmentof
HealthandHumanServices,andtheagencywasdirectedtoplacetheminorintheleast
restrictivesettingthatisinbestinterestofthechildandtoexplorereunitingthosechildrenwith
familymembers.AdrianEdwards,aU.Nrefugeespokesmansaysthenumberofpeoplefleeing
toMexico,Belize,CostaRicaandothercountriesinsearchofasylumhasincreasedbymore
than700percentsince2008.Theyarefleeinganenvironmentoftransnationalorganizedcrime
andotherproblemsthere,andwebelievethatamongstthattherearepeoplewhowillbeinneed
ofinternationalprotection,Edwardssays.aUNICEFreport,titledChildreninDanger:Actto
EndViolenceagainstChildren,exploreshowbaditreallyis.Schoolchildrenandteacherslive
infearofmurder,theftandextortion.Schoolattendance[inElSalvador]isamongthelowestin
LatinAmerica,andviolenceisoneofthemainreasons,thereportsaid.Muchofthisviolence
comesfromarmeddrugdealinggangsoftencomprisedofotherchildrenwhoadoptajoin
ordieapproachandsometimeskillothersiftheyrefusetofollow,saidAdrianaBeltrn,senior
associateforcitizensecurityattheWashingtonOfficeonLatinAmerica(WOLA),ahuman

rightsorganization.WOLAalsoreportsthatInHonduras,murdersofwomenandgirlsincreased
by264percentfrom2005to2013.Weshouldleteachchildhavetheirdayincourttodetermine
iftheyqualifyforrefugeestatus.InAmerica,weconsiderafairtrialtobearightforthe
Americanpeople,butIbelieveweshouldconsideritarightforallhumanbeings.

TheU.S.playsasignificantroleintheimmigrationcrisis.Youseethedirecteffectsof
theseColdWarpolicies,"GregGrandin,aprofessorofLatinAmericanhistoryatNewYork
University,toldTheHuffingtonPost."Nicaraguadoesntreallyhaveagangproblem,and
researchershavetracedthisbacktothe1980sandU.S.ColdWarpolicy."Itstruethatalotof
theseproblemscouldbetracedbacktocoldwarerapolicies.InDecemberof1980American
churchwomenwererapedandmurderedinElSalvador.JimmyCarterwaspresidentthenandas
aresponse,wecutforeignaid.In1981twoAmericanlandreformadvisorsweregunneddownat
theirhotelinElSalvador.Weincreasedforeignaidonlywhenwesawimprovementsmade
regardinghumanrightsinElSalvador.Thatsameyear,leftistpartiesorganizedwitharmed
civiliansknownasguerillagroups,toformtheFarabundoMartiNationalLiberationFront
(FMLN).Thisgroupretaliatedagainsttheirgovernment.WiththeelectionofRonaldReagan,
foreignpolicychangeddrastically.Wefocusedoncontainingthespreadofcommunism.PBS
reports,ThenewU.S.administrationworriedaboutCommunistexpansioninCentralAmerica
andviewedtheElSalvadormilitarygovernmentasapotentialbarrieragainstCommunism.The
ReaganadministrationsubstantiallyincreasedbothmilitaryandeconomicaidtoElSalvador.
TheElSalvadorancivilwarwasfueledbyU.Saidtothemilitary.In1989,themurderofsix
priests,ahousekeeper,andherdaughterattheUniversityofCentralAmericadisturbedthe

internationalcommunity.ThenSpeakeroftheHouse,TomFoleymonitoredtheSalvador
investigationandcreatedaspecialtaskforcetooverseeit.JoeMoakley,aCongressmanfrom
Massachusetts,wasinchargeofit.PBSreports,DuringhisresearchandvisitstoElSalvador,
CongressmanMoakleyencounteredamassivecoverup,deepproblemswiththeSalvadoran
armedforces,conspiracyandlies,whichledhimtochallengeU.S.policy.Hediscoveredthat
fromaveryhighlevel,thearmedforcesofElSalvadorhadbeenresponsibleforthemurdersof
theJesuits.HisinvestigationalsoledtotheconclusionthatcertainlevelsoftheU.S.government
hadknownaboutthesituationlongbeforethetaskforcewascreated.Sothearmedforcesthat
wehavebeenthrowingtaxdollarsatistheverygroupcommittingactsofmurder.Inessence,we
arefundingmurder.WiththepassingofthePeaceAccords,sponsoredbytheUnitedNation,the
civilwarendsin1992,itlastedfor12years.AccordingtoaUnitedNationsTruthCommission
report,theirgovernmentslaughteredsome95%ofthetotal80,000killedduringthewar.Sol
Yaez,apsychologistandresearcherattheUCAsdepartmentofpsychologyandsocialwork,
investigatedElMozotein1981,inwhichmorethan800civilianswereslaughteredbythe
Atlacatlbattalion,aSalvadoranarmyunit.Ideally,theUnitedStateswouldstartaprocessof
symbolicreparations,likeaskingforrealforgivenessfromtheSalvadoranpeopleforsupporting
suchabloodywar.Ofcourse,ithastobesincereandaccompaniedbyseriouscontributionsto
repairthedamagedonetohousing,education,employment,psychological
wellbeingeverythingthatwardestroyed.Shearguesthatitsnotjustviolencecausing
unaccompaniedchildrentoflee,butalsoeconomicdespaircausedbythecivilwar.Weare
essentiallytryingtofixsomethingthatourpolicieshavesupportedandcreated.

TheU.Sshouldtakeintheunaccompaniedchildrenattheborderbecausethechildrenare
searchingforprosperity,becauseoftheWilliamWilberforceTraffickingVictimsProtection
ReauthorizationActof2008,andbecauseIbelievetheU.S.playsaroleinthecurrent
immigrationcrisis.TheSalvadorancivilwarhassignificantlyimpactedCentralAmerica.The
U.SfundedtheSalvadoranarmyduringthecivilwar,whichwasinvolvedincriminalactivities
thatincludemassmurder.Studiesshowthatimmigrantscommitcrimeatalesserratethantheir
Americanborncounterparts,provingthattheydonotcometoAmericawiththeintenton
committingcrimes.Thesechildrenexperiencesevereviolenceintheirhomecountry,risking
theirlivescrossingtheborder.Theycomehereseekingopportunitiestohavebetterlife.Thatis
whatrefugeesdo,andtheU.Nencouragesourgovernmenttoconsiderthemso.Weshouldtake
thechildreninbecauseitistherightthingtodo.

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