HOUSTON, Texas — Despite claims that the number of apprehended unaccompanied alien children (UAC) has recently declined along the Texas-Mexico border, a shocking estimate from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) states that in Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 more than 127,000 foreign minors will attempt to illegally enter the country. That is more than double the number of UAC who will to cross the border this year.
DHS’ projection for next year is more than 20 times greater than the number of UAC who entered the U.S. illegally in 2011, which was 6,600. A DHS 2015 appropriations bill said, “Over the last several years, we have seen an exponential rise in the number of undocumented alien children – a tenfold increase from 6,600 in 2011 to 66,000 for fiscal year 2014 – and the projected number for 2015 is even more staggering – 127,000. Clearly, something needs to be done.”
The UAC estimate for FY 2015 supports assertions that the Obama Administration’s lax enforcement of immigration laws has encouraged more illegal crossers.
Senator Ted Cruz previously told Breitbart Texas in an interview, “If the president wants to change federal immigration laws, the Constitution lays out a way to do so–you go and make your case to Congress and you convince Congress to change the laws…unfortunately for President Obama, following the Constitutional structure is apparently too cumbersome. One of the consequences were seeing on the border is a humanitarian crisis that is a direct consequence of Obama’s lawlessness.”
It is easy to imagine why the president’s critics believe his administration’s policies are encouraging the current border crisis; rather than being turned away at the border, illegal immigrants are usually escorted to federal housing facilities where they receive a slew of taxpayer-subsidized benefits. Such amenities include food, vocational training, English lessons, education, recreation, and legal counsel. Some such housing units have come under scrutiny for additionally providing the migrants with such luxuries as flat screen televisions, hair salons, and all-you-can-eat buffets.
Following relatively short stays at federal facilities, most of the illegal immigrants are then released onto U.S. soil. They promise to appear at an immigration court hearing date sometime in the future, but many never show up. UAC have been set free in states around the nation including Hawaii, Alaska, and even the Virgin Islands.
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate.
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