Increase In Illegal Immigration By Families: You Won’t Believe Why More Are Coming With Young Children

There has been a dramatic increase recently in illegal border crossings into the United States by families with children, and even unaccompanied children of all ages. Many face danger, hunger, and exploitation along the way in the hope that they will be able to stay in the USA. The reason for the sudden increase in illegal immigration is shocking: their news media has told them that they can come.

The message that is spreading like wildfire through word-of-mouth and through news outlets in some Central American countries is, according to KRGV, is:

“Go to America with your child; you won’t be turned away.”

The laws have not changed. But, according to FOX, the word on the street in countries like Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico is that mothers with young children are being allowed to enter the country, and children who cross the border without their families are being reunited with family members once they get here. That hope, fueled by the rumor mill, is enough to motivate a growing number of mothers and children to risk the dangers in order to leave behind what they see as greater dangers and find a new life in America, even illegally.

In countries where laws matter less than bribe money, the concept of immigration being illegal is sometimes not even a consideration for some of these families. Now their own media is telling them that the U.S. border is open to families. They are being told that the U.S. is giving away bus tickets for mothers and families, one mother told Breitbart. And they are coming by the droves.

The situation is creating a humanitarian crisis. As facilities are being overwhelmed, immigration officials have been bussing people, including unaccompanied children, by the hundreds into Arizona, as reported previously by The Inquisitr.

“As immigrant detention policies are slowly changing in places like south Texas in order to accommodate spiking numbers of border crossings and subsequent illegal immigrant apprehensions, word is spreading about these changes. Now that DHS doesn’t want to split up families and is releasing so many non-criminal illegal immigrants with only orders to return in 15 days for a court hearing, those bring released are calling home,” said Border security expert Sylvia Longmire.

Some of those released never report back. But their calls home are bringing more families across the border. Longmire warns that this perception of amnesty is putting families in danger.

One mother who came from Guatemala confirms the dangers that she and her 6-year-old daughter faced on their treacherous immigration journey to the United States. Nora Griselda Bercian Diaz told KRGV that they were harassed in Tampico. Members of the Zetas drug cartel “chased us to kidnap us to request for ransom.”

After a narrow escape, Mexican officials asked for bribes. Mexican immigration officers demanded money so they would “turn the other way.”

They were faced with daily threats of kidnapping and rape, and hid in small houses along the way from federal police. Now that they are here, their future remains uncertain, but is likely to involve deportation.

As long as families believe that they can freely come to the US, stories like Bercian Diaz’s will continue. Some will not be as lucky as she is. According to Sylvia Longmire:

“US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is working hard to counter this message [of perceived amnesty] – not only to deter illegal immigration, but also to potentially save lives. The agency wants potential border crossers to understand they will face detention and likely deportation if they get caught trying to cross illegally, but also wants them to know the journey north is extremely dangerous–and potentially deadly.”

Some are speculating that the Obama administration is behind the spike in illegal immigration by families, by feeding information to Central American media that mothers and children will not be turned away if they cross the border.

Whatever the reason for foreign news outlets spreading the word about a welcome mat at United States borders, the fact remains that there has been an exponential increase in illegal immigration by families and children. Resources are being stretched, and political games are being played, all while people are being lied to and played as pawns in an ugly game with potentially devastating consequences.

[images via bing]