The number of Central American unaccompanied children and family units arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border has surged in recent years, reaching a peak of 137,000 in 2014. This inflow, expected to continue in 2015, has tested the ability of the United States to carry out its core immigration functions of preventing the admission of unauthorized immigrants and providing humanitarian protection. Additionally, states and localities are working on how best to respond to the unique educational and human service needs of this population.
In this webinar held on March 31, 2015, Migration and Policy Institute (MPI) experts discussed the shifting pattern of Central American migration and expectations for 2015; why inflows present a particularly acute policy challenge; and how states, localities, the federal government, and other countries in the region are responding. Speakers provided recommendations on policies that advance both critical protection and enforcement goals in situations of complex, mixed-status flows as well as means to address impacts in communities where child migrants have settled.
Speakers:
- Marc Rosenblum, Deputy Director, U.S. Immigration Policy Program, MPI
- Margie McHugh, Director, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, MPI
Moderator:
- Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow and Director, U.S. Immigration Policy Program, MPI
Learn more here.
