Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Officers continue to encounter migrant children who illegally crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into the state.
The most recent report comes from Eagle Pass where – on Friday, November 8, 2024 –DPS Officers found 13 unaccompanied children, ages 7-16, from Honduras, Guatemala, & Nicaragua among a large group of 114 illegal immigrants who had just crossed the border.
Texas State Trooper encounters 114 migrants – including 13 unaccompanied children who illegally crossed border in Eagle Pass (Nov. 8, 2024)Photo byTexas Department of Public Safety
The children – along with the adult migrants – were handed over to US Border Patrol (USBP) Agents.
Here are answers to common questions about this border issue:
What happens to the children once they are in federal custody?
- US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) gives each child a “Notice to Appear” in immigration court.
- Within 72 hours CBP must turn the children over to the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).
- ORR screens the children for trafficking, conducts medical examinations, and provides them with needed immunizations. Case managers and legal services are also provided.
- ORR’s next priority is to match each child with an “adult sponsor” defined as “a parent or a close family relative living in the United States.” It takes 34 days on average to match a child with a sponsor.
- As of November 1, 2024, there were 6,148 unaccompanied children in federal custody awaiting placement with an approved sponsor.