The U.S. Coast Guard intercepts unaccompanied minors attempting to reach the U.S. by boat, and most are sent back, even children traveling alone. After being turned away, the fate of these children remains unclear, with little knowledge of what awaits them in their home countries. The enforcement of immigration policies has caused significant stress and fatigue among Coast Guard crew members. Once sent back, the children are dispersed to shelters across the U.S., where there is a lack of information about their parents and how to find them. Despite claims that the children are transferred to local authorities for care, there is a lack of transparency regarding the precautions taken to ensure their safety beyond initial screenings.
The Coast Guard & State Dept. say that the kids they send back are transferred to local authorities who care for children. But no US agency would explain the actual precautions the government takes to keep children safe, other than initial screenings. https://t.co/FDT0S8bRjI
Children had been dispersed to shelters across the country that didn’t know who their parents were or how to find them. https://t.co/TtqlfPaAtB
The Coast Guard’s enforcement of immigration policies has led to what one senior official described as “war-fighting levels of stress and fatigue.” Some crew members said the worst part of the job was turning away the kids who were traveling alone. https://t.co/ZwzZhegTlC
Unaccompanied minors who show up at maritime borders are often sent back to their home countries, with little idea of what awaits them there. “Children leave the port,” one official said, “and what happens to them after they leave, no one knows.” https://t.co/WUoHRkJJbv
Thousands of people try to reach the U.S. by boat each year. But there is no right to asylum at sea, and nearly everyone caught in U.S. waters is sent back — even children traveling alone. What happens next is unclear. https://t.co/PQDr8d8Ddc https://t.co/5YtQpBgPmd
When the Coast Guard Intercepts Unaccompanied Kids https://t.co/OWbcJR1zqj