Illegal Child Immigrants

U.S Government Challenge Regarding Illegal Child Immigrants: Support or Deport? Illegal immigration has always been a controversial issue in the United States. It might become a more sensitive case when we consider children as a part of this community of illegal immigrants, especially when they come to the U.S on their own, like those who come from Central America. The unaccompanied children are frequently on the front lines of the danger like kidnapping, murder, robbery and rape at the hands of violent drug cartels, human smugglers and even corrupt Mexican government officials. Many of the kids try to reunite with their family (especially, Mom) who is already in the U.S. However, others are fleeing from poverty and regional violence in

Children in the Central America do not have enough financial support to go to school. The families do not even have enough money for basic living expenses like providing food or clean water. Nazario mentions this hardship in her book,’’ At dinnertime the mothers count out three tortillas for each child. If there are no tortillas, they try to fill their children’s bellies with a glass of water with a teaspoon of sugar mixed in’’ ( Enrique’s Journey 36). When children decide to illegally go to the United Sates to reunite with their parents, there are many more dangers that might happen on the way. Murdering, robbing, death, diseases and sexual abuse (especially, females) could harm these poor children. The kids ' journey to the U.S. can take months. They face extreme heat or cold and go for days without food or water and experience a lot of dangers that even might take their life. These children have witnessed unspeakable horrors and have been the victims of violence and abuse. In Enrique’s Journey, the author states,” In a 2012 report, Human Rights Watch said that about 18,000 Central American migrants were being kidnapped each year crossing into Mexico. Those who don’t have relatives with money are killed” (Nazario 216). In another part of the book she mentions,” A University of Houston

They argue that if more immigrants come to the United States, there will be less welfare, such as medical, economic and educational welfare from the government, for U.S. citizens. Nazario points out this view in her book,” Overall, the NRC said, immigrants use more government services than native-born Americans. They have more children, and therefore more kids in public schools. . . It will cost the government two and half times as much per household to educate their children. . . Immigrants are poorer, have lower incomes, and qualify for more state and local services and assistance” (Enrique’s Journey 233). Moreover, they think that there will not be an enough opportunity for U.S citizens to find a job or if there is, there will be more job competition in workforce .Generally speaking, those people believe that illegal immigrants are a burden to the United States’ society and U.S government spend millions of dollars of tax payers’ money on illegal immigrants . In Enrique’s Journey, the author explains, “The burden to taxpayers is greatest in immigrant-heavy states such as California. . . There, nonimmigrant house-holds pay more state and local taxes than the services they receive; conversely, immigrant households pay a lot less in taxes than the value of the government services they receive. The crush of immigrants has contributed to a decline of many public services, namely