Statement for the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on “Ongoing Migration from Central America: An Examination of FY2015 Apprehensions”

The American Immigration Council submitted a written statement to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for an October 21, 2015 hearing on “Ongoing Migration from Central America: An Examination of FY2015 Apprehensions.” The statement shares our research and analysis regarding the children and families that have fled Central American violence to the United States. The statement provides context as to why children have been fleeing their homes and arriving at our southern borders. The statement includes our revised report, A Guide to Children Arriving at the Border: Laws, Policies, and Responses, which explains the basic protections that U.S. law affords these children and what happens to these children once they are in U.S. custody. The statement also includes our paper, No Childhood Here: Why Central American Children Are Fleeing Their Homes, which details how organized crime, gangs, and violence are driving children, families, women, and men out of their home towns and countries.