Unaccompanied Minors: A Crisis with Deep Roots and No Simple Solutions

The flow of unaccompanied children from Central America and Mexico to the United States has surged 90 percent since last year, with government officials predicting that it might reach 90,000 by the end of the fiscal year in September—and perhaps 130,000 next year.

As Congress opens hearings on the sharp uptick in unaccompanied children traveling to the United States, Migration Policy Institute (MPI) experts in U.S. immigration and humanitarian policy, trends in Central America and Mexico, and past migration emergencies will hold a conference call to discuss the factors behind the flows, the sometimes unintended consequences of U.S. policy, and how the U.S. immigration system deals with these children. They also will discuss short- and longer-term policy options for improving how the U.S. immigration system interacts with this population with distinct needs, and will offer policy recommendations for ways in which the incentives that have been partially responsible for motivating this child migration can be reversed.
    
Please join us for this telebriefing, which will preview a policy brief on unaccompanied minors that MPI will release in July.