Yuma-Area Border Authorities See More Migrant Children Under 13

Published: Thursday, February 18, 2021 - 5:47am
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The Border Patrol says it has apprehended more than twice as many young migrant children in its Yuma Sector since Jan. 1 as it did at the start of 2019.

Fiscal year 2019 saw the last surge of migration at the U.S.-Mexico border. But the wave then was mostly families.

Since Jan. 1, Border Patrol agents in the Yuma area say they’ve caught 28 migrant children under age 13.

The pandemic has been exacerbated in Central America, which was hit by two hurricanes, said Jennifer Podkul.  

“So the flow of children leaving those countries of origin and seeking protection in the United States continues to be high as it has been for several years,” said the vice president of policy and advocacy for a legal and social services provider, Kids in Need of Defense.

Border officials say the young children crossing near Yuma have been from Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.

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