During fiscal year 2023, Border Patrol agents have found an average of one migrant boy, girl, or adolescent (NNA) only every 18.44 minutes in the El Paso Sector, with a total of 14,210 cases from October 1 to March 30th.
Most of them are from Guatemala, but they have also found minors from countries like Russia, Turkey, Brazil and Venezuela, as well as from different parts of Mexico, in the desert or along the banks of the Rio Grande, without the company of their parents or guardians. .
“Fortunately, on several occasions our agents have found minors in time who have been abandoned to their fate by traffickers in remote areas. Criminal organizations continually endanger the lives of vulnerable migrants who are promised a safe crossing,” reported the El Paso Sector Border Patrol.
According to the statistics of the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in October 2,577 unaccompanied migrant minors were found, in November 2,717 more were located, in December They totaled 2,754, in January there were 1,861, in February 2,014 and in March 2,287 more were found.
Of the 14,210 unaccompanied minors, 7,488 were of Guatemalan origin, 2,660 Mexican, 1,444 from Honduras and 884 from El Salvador.
In the last six months, five unaccompanied migrant children from Brazil have also been found, 224 from Colombia, 87 from Cuba, 641 from Ecuador, four from Haiti, 371 from Nicaragua and 248 from Venezuela.
Border Patrol agents from the El Paso Sector also found 23 Peruvian children alone, one Russian and 77 from Turkey, among other nationalities.
According to CBP statistics, during the US fiscal year 2020 (from October 2019 to September 2020) 4,835 unaccompanied migrant minors were found in the El Paso sector, but in fiscal year 2021 the number increased to 22,906 , and in fiscal year 2022 there were 23,820 found on the border border, next to the wall, in the desert, in the hills or hiding places.
The Border Patrol explained that the migrant minors who have been found alone at the border range from just a few months old to 17 years of age, who are sometimes part of groups but none of the members is their family member.
“When the El Paso Sector finds minors, they are transported to the Centralized Processing Center (CPC), where they are identified and undergo an initial health examination. While in custody, children are cared for in a manner consistent with CBP’s Transport, Escort, Detention, and Search (TEDS) Policy. Border Patrol agents and medical personnel will provide safety, security, and basic medical care for the children in accordance with CDC guidelines,” she reported.
Unaccompanied minors are then processed quickly and efficiently in order to transfer custody to the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) who are responsible for providing care to minors and facilitating reunification. with their relatives.
