Arrived: the crisis of unaccompanied children at our southern border.

Abstract

For me as a pediatrician, the rapid influx of unaccompanied minors at our southern border simultaneously raises eyebrows and clinical concerns. While our elected leaders continue to battle about immigration issues and refugee status, I have had many conversations with fellow pediatricians around the country who are asking the same 2 questions: “What is this situation at the border about?” and “How can I help?” Over the past few years, US Customs and Border Protection agents have seen increasing numbers of unaccompanied children and young families crossing into the United States. Most of these young immigrants come from the Central American countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Contrary to media portrayal, this is not a new issue. These 3 countries are plagued by poverty, complicated by a growing culture of violence bolstered by an illegal drug trade.1 Although these children have diverse backgrounds, >90% of the children arriving at the border as unaccompanied minors have contact information for a family member living in the United States. Social workers work to contact this person or relative, and if he or she agrees to serve as a “Sponsor,” will conduct a background check of the person. If there are no issues with the background check (which does not include verification of citizenship), the child can be placed with the Sponsor while awaiting a deportation hearing. At this hearing, a child will often be represented by pro bono legal advocates. Some children will qualify for asylum as refugees; others will not, and will be deported. More information about this process is available from the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Some media sources have argued that the unaccompanied children pose an imminent public health threat, and even some elected officials have asserted that these children threaten our communities. These claims range from the … Address correspondence to Loren Robinson, MD, University of Pennsylvania, Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, 423 Guardian Dr, 13th Floor, Blockley Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19104. E-mail: lorenr{at}upenn.edu