The Hill News

The U.S. border with Mexico is often a dangerous place. Those most vulnerable at the border are unaccompanied Mexican children, thousands of whom attempt to cross the border each year despite the risks. Many children are compelled to cross to join family members; others are used by traffickers, drug dealers, and other criminals.
 
Congress addressed the plight of these children in 2008, when it passed the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection and Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). The law is intended to ensure that each Mexican child unaccompanied by a parent or guardian is not immediately repatriated, but instead is interviewed to determine whether the child is a victim of trafficking, has a fear of persecution, or otherwise cannot (or will not) consent to be returned to Mexico.

If conducted properly, this screening should ensure that these children, many of whom have been victims of abuse or human trafficking, have a chance to make a clai! m to remain in the United States, legally, under federal law.

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