On Tuesday, the White House requested $3.7 billion from Congress to spend on handling the enormous influx of illegal immigrants coming in from Central and South America.
The U.S., in its history, has always had to deal with a large population of immigrants flooding into the country for better opportunities. However, this year, an unprecedented number of unaccompanied children have been illegally crossing the southern border of the country.
In the fiscal year of 2013, 26,206 unaccompanied children have been apprehended by border patrol, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In the 2014 fiscal year, there have already been 52,193 children who have been caught crossing the border illegally.
The requested money would go mostly toward improving border security, which includes sending more border patrol and adding more detention facilities, and providing better care for the unaccompanied children while they are being deported.
Jeh Johnson, the Secretary of Homeland Security, said in a statement that the influx of unaccompanied children “requires a whole of government coordinated and sustained response.” One of the many ways he mentioned in handling the situation included cooperation with the host nations.
“We will also continue to work closely with the governments of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to counter this recent surge in migrant children," Secretary Johnson said.
One of the reasons that such a huge surge of immigrants flood into our country includes the violence that occurs in the host countries. Parents send their children or move the entire family in order to avoid this violence. White House officials stated that some of the money will also go toward combating this violence, according to the New York Times.
The financial request will be heard Thursday before the Senate Appropriations Committee.
