<p>While Trump&rsquo;s harsh rhetoric about the &ldquo;crisis&rdquo; at the US-Mexico border makes it seem like the number of illegal crossings is increasing, the reverse is actually true. ;</p>
<p><em>What is increasing is the number of families and unaccompanied minors (UMs) seeking entry into the United States</em>. ;</p>
<p>Ten years ago, a majority of illegals coming from Mexico were single men looking for work. Today, ;most of them are refugees ;fleeing the violence and poverty in Central American countries like Hondurus and Guatemala. ;</p>
<p>In 2013, more than 80% of illegals apprehended at the border were individuals. About 9% were UMs and less than ;4% were crossing as part of a family. In 2017, about 61% of those caught at the border were individuals, 14% were UMs, and ;25% were traveling as part of a family. ;</p>
<p>This shift from singles to family units &ldquo;poses challenges we haven&rsquo;t confronted before and has made what once were relatively minor wrinkles in the law loom very large,&rdquo; notes <em>National Review. ;</em></p>
<p><strong>Take the longtime policy of separating children from criminal parents, for example. ;</strong></p>
<p>During the Obama Administration, illegals traveling with kids were given a free pass. Under the Trump Administration&rsquo;s &ldquo;zero tolerance&rdquo; policy, all adults caught at the border are prosecuted.</p>
<p>Until recently, that policy led to the separation of more than 2,000 children from their parents. And while the criminal ;proceedings for illegals who plead guilty are generally short, this is not true for those who decide to file an asylum claim after they are charged with the crime of illegal entry. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;In that scenario, the adults are almost certainly going to be detained longer than the government is allowed to hold their children,&rdquo; notes <em>National Review</em>. &ldquo;Under current policy and with the current resources, the only practical alternative is letting family units who show up at the border live in the country for the duration. Not only does this make a mockery of our laws, it creates an incentive for people to keep brining children with them.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>President Trump on June 20th signed an executive order banning family separation, but the damage is already done. ;</strong></p>
<p>The leniency offered by the Obama Administration coupled with the violence and instability in Central America has led to a sharp uptick in the number of families and children seeking entry to the US. It also means more children are forced to travel a dangerous journey run by sex traffickers and drug dealers. ;</p>
<p>According to a <em>New York Times</em> report, more and more would-be immigrants are traveling with children who are not their own in hopes they will be released from custody sooner. On top of that, it is common for parents to entrust their kids to smugglers as a favor or profit. ;</p>
<p>Alongside the increase in family units comes and increase in the number of ;refugees showing up at ;legal crossings rather than sneaking across illegally. This is the best strategy for those ;seeking asylum in the US. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;This whole question of deterrence is an interesting question, because you&#8217;re talking about deterring people from risking their lives on a pretty dangerous journey through Mexico, many of whom felt their lives were threatened in their home countries, or their livelihoods were threatened,&#8221; says immigration expert Randy Capps. &#8220;Unless you cut off asylum altogether, unless you detain everyone who comes to stay&#8230;it&#8217;s going to be very hard to cut off these flows, and then you&#8217;re denying humanitarian rights to people.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The ;Trump Administration ;has also sought to curtail the number of legal immigrants and refugees by pushing for legislation that would make it harder for people to qualify. ;</p>
<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s just a certain group of people, particularly in Honduras and more so Guatemala, who are going to try to come eventually unless conditions in their home country improve,&#8221; says Capps. &#8220;It&#8217;s just a matter of timing.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>Editor&#8217;s note:</strong> Obama&#8217;s policies made children a type of currency for entering the United States. Now that currency is being used over and over, putting children in the midst of dangerous situations, situations they are ill-equipped to deal with BECAUSE THEY&#8217;RE KIDS BEING USED BY ADULTS. Obama&#8217;s stupidity and naivete are astounding.</p>