Obama is sharing the burden with all 57 States.
Via Watchdog
Nebraska Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns said Thursday about 200 undocumented children have been placed in Nebraska after arriving at the U.S. Border, most of them from Central America.
Johanns’ office said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials said during a June 27 conference call that a number of months ago, about 200 children were placed with families or sponsors in Nebraska, often after turning themselves into the U.S. Border Patrol and released under light supervision while awaiting deportation hearings. He said that number could be higher than 200, since it changes often.
The children placed in Nebraska are part of the wave of children from Central America who have been shuttled by coyotes to America’s border and overwhelmed Texas facilities. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is charged with finding a place for the children while they await court dates, and sometimes they go to relatives or sponsors in places like Nebraska.
“That is not a surprising number,” Johanns said. “These kids are probably getting scattered all over the United States.”
About 52,000 unaccompanied children have been caught at the U.S.-Mexico border since October, double the number from the prior year.
“This can’t be allowed to continue,” Johanns said. “The law needs to be changed here … or we have no border when it comes to anybody under age.”
Johanns said he doubts whether there’s a stringent verification process to ensure the children going to people who are in the U.S. legally, and then the kids are told to appear at future deportation hearings.
“Let’s be realistic. What are the chances that a child who is placed with somebody who is not here legally is going to be presented in court by that family a year from now?” Johanns asked. “This child just disappears into American society.”