Last week, the House State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee released draft legislation that outlines how the U.S. Government should invest in addressing the migration of vulnerable children and families from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Approximately 70,000 children fled their communities and arrived in the United States last year. These children leave their homes in order to escape gender-based violence, poverty, lacking opportunities, and other complex problems. In too many cases, they are forced to make a decision between staying in a country where they must join a gang or be killed, or make the treacherous journey through Mexico in order to seek safety.
Although vulnerable children continue to leave their communities every day in search of safety, the funding legislation, which is meant to address the root causes of migration, focuses only on strengthening border security in Central America and Mexico. This plan does not include adequate protections for those displaced by violence, effective development programs, or support for follow-up services for the children who are returned to the countries. Investments that only concentrate on border enforcement will leave thousands of children in harm’s way.
In a study conducted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to learn why children who arrive in the United States are displaced from the Northern Triangle of Central America and Mexico, 58% of children interviewed were potentially in need of international protection. Due to an increase in border security and apprehensions of migrants in Mexico, the need to protect our vulnerable brothers and sisters extends well outside of the U.S. The UNHCR also reported that asylum applications of people from the Northern Triangle have increased by 712% in countries other than the U.S.
As a nation that so often stands for the protection of the most vulnerable, we must make sure that our investments in Mexico and Central America’s Northern Triangle region actually protect children and families who must flee dangerous situations. We also cannot promote practices that send children back to places where they may be harmed.
Please join ELCA Advocacy today in speaking out in support of protecting the most vulnerable among us. Urge your U.S. Representatives to include child protections in their Central American assistance plan now at the ELCA Action Center!
Our Lutheran voice is critical to ensuring our brothers and sisters in Central America are supported and able to live safe and prosperous lives. Let us also continue to pray for all who face violence in their communities and must make impossible decisions out of fear for their lives.
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