Migrant Children Crossings Rising At Southern Border

Migrants cross the border between the U.S. and Mexico at the Rio Grande river, as they enter El Paso, Texas.  (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Officials from the Biden administration have reported an alarming number of unaccompanied migrant children attempting to cross the US-Mexico border. Just in the month of May, Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 14,000 of unaccompanied minors. This represents an increase of nearly 22 percent since April and the largest month since July 2021, which peaked to nearly 19,000.

Although Biden plans to combat the crisis with his Los Angeles declaration plan, analysts doubt his measures will make any difference as they do not appear to directly address the issue.

“First, stability and assistance, making sure that communities welcoming refugees can afford to care for them, to educate them, medical care, shelter and job opportunities,” stated the President. “Second, increasing pathways for legal migration throughout the region as well as protections for refugees.”

However, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) made additional efforts to protect his state from Biden’s immigration crisis. On Friday, he directly addressed the issue announcing his petition to the Florida Supreme Court to create a statewide grand jury to investigate human smuggling networks.

“The purpose of the grand jury will be to investigate individuals and organizations that are actively working with foreign nationals, drug cartels, coyotes to illegally smuggle minors, some as young as two-years-old across the border and into Florida,” DeSantis explained. “This is just wrong what they’re doing and we are going to go after it. The grand jury will also investigate the methods that these smugglers use to transport so-called unaccompanied alien children across the southern border and any criminal activity that is associated with these operations.”

Among his other initiatives is to sign a bill that penalizes contractors hired by the federal government that transports unauthorized immigrants to Florida.

In Biden’s fiscal year of 2021 alone, the Customs and Border Protection reported 1.7 million encounters with illegal migrants at the southern border, which is the highest number ever recorded in a single year. This came despite his pledge to fix the immigration crisis he claimed former President Donald Trump.

Currently, the average number of unaccompanied children apprehended is nearly 14,000 per month.