Eléctrica in the Desert From “Democracy Now” by Claire Marie OBrien Worst of the American Spirit As thousands of migrants continue to arrive in the United States seeking escape from violence in Central America, this week the Texas town of League City passed a resolution banning undocumented children from entering its municipality. The move echoes sentiments that flared up just before July 4 in Murrieta, California, when police blocked three buses of migrants from reaching a federal immigration facility there. The buses carrying dozens of children flown in from an overcrowded detention center in Texas were then surrounded by demonstrators who chanted anti-immigrant slogans. A society is judged on how we treat our children, and what we witnessed that day was the worst of the American spirit, says Enrique Morones, director of the group Border Angels. This comes as reports show Honduran children are increasingly being targeted by gang violence and Border Patrol statistics indicate a strong correlation between Central American cities with high homicide rates and waves of children who come to the United States. “What we need to do is give them, as we would refugees anywhere else in the world, access to territory and access to procedures in order to establish their status and care for them as people who need international protection, says Shelly Pitterman, head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Office in Washington, D.C. He represents the office to the United States and Caribbean governments. Immigration Overload California JUAN GONZÁLEZ: We continue now to look at the humanitarian crisis unfolding with thousands of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. This week the Texas town of League City passed a resolution banning undocumented children from entering its municipality, and refusing to accept federal funds to operation detention centers in the city. The move echoes sentiments that flared up just before July 4th in Southern California, when right-wing demonstrators blocked three buses of migrants from reaching a federal immigration facility in the town of Murrieta. The buses were carrying dozens of children flown in from an overcrowded detention center in Texas. Demonstrators blocked the road and chanted anti-immigrant slogans. AMY GOODMAN: Well, this week, immigrant supporters gathered in Murrieta to hold a vigil calling for compassion—among them, the parents of two detained minors, aged 10 and seven, who were taken into custody in Texas, are now being held in a shelter awaiting processing. This is their mother, Elva. ELVA: [translated] At this moment, my only wish is to hug my children and to have them close and tell them I love them. I want to be able to recuperate all the missed time that has passed without them. But sometimes it’s not possible to make up that time. I just want to make sure that they are OK. JUAN GONZÁLEZ: This family is from Guatemala, and they’re among thousands who are fleeing violence there as well as in Honduras and El Salvador. The New York Times reports Honduran children are increasingly being targeted by gang violence. In June, 32 children were murdered in Honduras, bringing the number of youths under 18 killed since January of last year to more than 400. Border Patrol statistics show a strong correlation between cities with high homicide rates and waves of young people who come to the United States.
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 05:19:09 +0000
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