The Invisible Crisis: Small Children Crossing the US Border on Their Own

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the land of false hope

The rumor is spreading around the pueblos! America is taking care of women and children.

The coyotes, people who help smuggle migrants across the border, and cartels are swarming in like vultures, scooping up their prey and escorting them by bus to the Mexican-American border, where they simply throw up a ladder and instruct everyone to climb up, jump into America and wait for Border Patrol to come along and rescue them.

So, of course, all the young vulnerable, migrant women who just got to America that I spoke with saw the Border Patrol as the heroes who came to assist them on their journey. They all said that when they saw Border Patrol, they finally felt safe and happy to have survived their harrowing odyssey to get to the Promised Land.

To this day, they don’t seem to grasp that they were apprehended. Once taken into custody, the migrants are given food and shelter, and deportation documents – which they keep referring to as their “papers.” After they are processed, the women with infants who claim to have family members in America are released – with documents that have a court date for a deportation hearing in a location near their kin.

Once the border-crossers have been processed by the Department of Homeland Security, they are released – so throughout the day, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement delivers them to the Greyhound bus station where they are dropped off and forced to fend for themselves.

These are very poor, uneducated women who speak Indigenous languages, so when they arrive at the bus station all they can say is, “I’m going to Tejas!”

“Where in Texas?” asks the humanitarian aid worker.

“South Dakota,” announces another mother with a newborn in tow, not capable of naming any town in that state.

read the rest:
msnbc.com/msnbc/welcome-the-land-false-hope

Interesting interview of the author of the piece here:
youtube.com/watch?v=6n3qEBfbeA8

I hadn’t thought about the language situation, but you’re right. A lot of people in Central America don’t speak Spanish, but various native Indian languages. The poorer they are, the more likely they are to speak one of those, exclusively. Bet there’s a lot of that among these latest arrivals.

Never will I forget having to communicate with a guy from Guatemala. I brought a Spanish translator. Oops! Couldn’t speak Spanish. This was in a public situation. Another guy, a Mexican, could speak Spanish and a language somewhat akin to the Guatemalan’s language, but not exactly. But he couldn’t speak English. Another Guatemalan couldn’t speak the first Guatemalan’s language exactly, but he could get even closer. He couldn’t speak Spanish though.

So, the chain went like this: First Guatemalan to second Guatemalan. Second Guatemalan’s dialect was closer to the one the Mexican knew, so second Guatemalan translated for Mexican. Mexican translated into Spanish. My translator translated into English for me.

Bet there’s a lot of that going on.

 

[Robert_Sock]

Let us consider what Christ would have us do in response to these innocent children…

LOVE!

 

[Julianna]

well the baptist church came to their rescue right away.volunteers from that faith even traveled hundreds of miles from dallas and san antonio .it is likely that they were there to convert them,since they know majority of them are catholics.they were not there to really help them about their condition.im not prejudging them,but they proudly admitted yrs before on san antonio express news, that once these people cross the border ,they tell them to discard any catholic religious articles and convert to their fold.then,they give them king james version bibles.

Doubtful. So where are the Catholics? Where are the stories of Dioceses across Texas banding together to assist? The Baptists and the Pentacostals and possibly the LDS have once again beaten us to the punch. This is what they do, they “minister”, they have ministries, and the faithful put alot of money and effort into their churches for this very purpose…to “evangelize”.

Politics aside, these are children, they are here. Pointing fingers at politics is not going to shelter, feed or clothe one of these children. I know Baptists, it is very doubtful they were told to discard their catholic religious articles. Their congregations are huge as are the Pentacostals, (Assembly of God)…why would they not think that this is the Christian thing to do.

Sounds simple to me.

 

[Julianna]

It’s the Republicans fault that all these children are being dumped on US soil? Sure, and the Easter Bunny can fly. This mess lies squarely with Obama and his pen & phone. It’s just one more unintended consequence of acting without thinking.

The parents saw an opportunity and they took it (I likely would have too if I was in their shoes.) An estimated 90,000+ children will be dumped in the US from south of the border this year alone. This causes a huge problem for our welfare systems. If you think people are suffering now from lack of funding, go ahead and try spreading those limited dollars to an addition 100,000+ people and add in the cost for foster care, education, etc. It won’t be the wealthy who suffer because of this disaster of an administration, it will be the poor who already live here that get stiffed. But, I guess those poor don’t count.

And while the Church is borderless, countries and their economies are not. Those children should be returned home to their parents where they belong.

Yes, you are right, as soon they produce and ID and address, we’ll put them on the first plane out.

 

[Julianna]

If America survived its destruction and ruin by way of the presidencies of Nixon, Reagan and George W. Bush then Obama is a walk in the park.

oh yeah, how soon we forget, politics is politics…not born to just one party.

I forever remain an independent/moderate.

 

[Dawnia]

Doubtful. So where are the Catholics? Where are the stories of Dioceses across Texas banding together to assist? The Baptists and the Pentacostals and possibly the LDS have once again beaten us to the punch. This is what they do, they “minister”, they have ministries, and the faithful put alot of money and effort into their churches for this very purpose…to “evangelize”.

Politics aside, these are children, they are here. Pointing fingers at politics is not going to shelter, feed or clothe one of these children. I know Baptists, it is very doubtful they were told to discard their catholic religious articles. Their congregations are huge as are the Pentacostals, (Assembly of God)…why would they not think that this is the Christian thing to do.

Sounds simple to me.

Where are the Catholics? Helping all those ill informed people flooding across the border with food, clothes, shelter, legal services, and a whole host of other services. Catholics didn’t need to do anything special for this influx of people, because they were there long before those other churches decided to show up to the party and they will be there long after those other churches leave.

 

[Julianna]

Where are the Catholics? Helping all those ill informed people flooding across the border with food, clothes, shelter, legal services, and a whole host of other services. Catholics didn’t need to do anything special for this influx of people, because they were there long before those other churches decided to show up to the party and they will be there long after those other churches leave.

Don’t kid yourself. The Pentacostals and the Baptists aren’t going anywhere…especially in a southern state.

I was questioning a poster who seemed to thing the faith of these children were hanging in the balance because the Evang/Fundy Protestants were at the ready. Their religious news stations have been buzzing about for weeks and the mainstream media got wind of it and passed it on…although the extreme left media wants to know where the government is…they haven’t caught on yet that it takes time and a lot of red tape to get things going. Pres Bush had it going on with Faith Based initiatives…seems it’s working and I don’t see it going away anytime soon. As it should be. However, I haven’t seen the press on the Catholics at the ready…on CAF, I just hear about how their hard earned tax money is being piddled away and that this administration purposely orchestrated the masses of children to cross the border and no other reason is mentioned.

I say, what difference does it make? The children are here, they are hungry, scared and don’t have a clue what is going to happen to them next. What does it matter whose Christian flag is at the head of calvary, as long they are coming to help.

 

[Tomdstone]

The children are here, they are hungry, scared and don’t have a clue what is going to happen to them next.

The right thing to do is to volunteer, contribute or in some way support these children who are fleeing the criminal violent drug cartels. Ask yourself this: Would these criminal drug cartels exist if Americans refused to buy their illegal drugs? Why blame children for a problem created by Americans?

 

[Tomdstone]

Where are the Catholics? Helping all those ill informed people flooding across the border with food, clothes, shelter, legal services, and a whole host of other services.

This is why we need to give more support to Catholic relief services and help those in desperate need.

 

[Tomdstone]

Let us consider what Christ would have us do in response to these innocent children…

LOVE!

Absolutely right.

 

[HardtoHear]

Trickster, the Republicans can’t do anything about it. Obama’s party has 2/3 of the government. By the way, it was Obama who said he wouldn’t deport illegal children living in the US, which translated as amnesty to everyone else.

Obama and the Dems created this crisis for votes. There is a way to solve the issue, and that is ENFORCE THE LAW. But, the federal government, and by that I mean Eric Holder and the DOJ and the DHS, refuse to do so.

There are three entities that are wanting illegals: The Democrat party wants votes. Establishment Republicans want the low wages because the US chamber of commerce is in their pocket. And yes, the Catholic Church in the USA wants more Catholics to increasee the church’s power, influence, and wealth.

None of it has a thing to do with those kids’ welfare. If we cared about the illegal children, we’d not encourage them to go through the desert. We’d enforce the law. We’d pressure latin American governments to change, much like we have everywhere else.

Dems, Republicans, and the Catholic Church all have blood on their hands. But Obama really got the ball rolling, he’s the reason that there is this humanitarian crisis.

I am not sure if this is such an invisible crisis. The Republicans are wrong on this because they are still blinded by their agenda to stop Obama at the costs of bringing down the United States. Polls say that most Americans want the issue solved and find a way to absorb immigrant kids who lived in the states most of their lives. Yet it is their out of touch representatives (as Cantor found out with his electors) are not representing that generous American spirit.
~
In other postings there is all these worries about diseases and so forth. What has Pope Francis said on this issue? What about the Social Teachings of our church? I think everyone knows, so “nuff” said.

Trickster

 

[GaryTaylor]

Absolutely right.

Let us also consider what Christ thinks about the million aborted yearly. And why would those who abort the million somehow become responsible for others children who can’t be responsible for their children and didn’t abort them?

There’s a million reasons not to take care of the Children, just ask the abortionists.

Lets look at you earlier argument also, Americas don’t support the drug cartel, in fact most Americans don’t use drugs, thus, the fact they exist isn’t a contingent of those who don’t use drugs. Which is why marijuana gets a no-go from most of us. Not an American universal just like obviously taking care of children isn’t. And no one is blaming the children for anything, but accepting the children by a narrow paradigm of those who use drugs would in fact leave those who use drugs to care for the children. Obviously they won’t be taking of the children.

So who should volunteer? The abortionists and drug users who scream for equal rights? Are they lining up to care for the children crossing the border.

Or should those who actually raised their own family be responsible, who care for their own kids and their friends children when need be, who don’t believe in abortion or drug use and don’t teach it to the kids. Seems to me these people here have their own responsible plan in fact becoming a reality. And if they help out then truly that is charity. They are not obligated to do this, they do it because they do care.

So where is the “other” 51 percent? Seems to me those who want equal rights also want to be taken care of? But they don’t want to care for anyone including themselves.

Just saying.

 

[GaryTaylor]

. And yes, the Catholic Church in the USA wants more Catholics to increasee the church’s power, influence, and wealth.

So your saying the Church is responsible for placing children on top of trains and sending them off to possible life or death? What do you have to support this opinion?

Thanks

 

[Tigg]

There are three entities that are wanting illegals: The Democrat party wants votes. Establishment Republicans want the low wages because the US chamber of commerce is in their pocket. ** And yes, the Catholic Church in the USA wants more Catholics to increasee the church’s power, influence, and wealth.
**
None of it has a thing to do with those kids’ welfare.

The bolded makes no sense. How are these poorest of the poor going to contribute to the wealth of the Church? Let alone studies which say that Latinos are abandoning their faith once they get here. In our parish we have documented that even those who bring their children in for the first sacraments, once that’s done, we do not see much of them again. But I do agree that the Catholic Church has been in lock-step with much of the Left’s grand plan for the world. It’s almost as if something larger looms and we haven’t begun to realize just what it is.

 

[Tigg]

I hadn’t thought about the language situation, but you’re right. A lot of people in Central America don’t speak Spanish, but various native Indian languages. The poorer they are, the more likely they are to speak one of those, exclusively. Bet there’s a lot of that among these latest arrivals.

Never will I forget having to communicate with a guy from Guatemala. I brought a Spanish translator. Oops! Couldn’t speak Spanish. This was in a public situation. Another guy, a Mexican, could speak Spanish and a language somewhat akin to the Guatemalan’s language, but not exactly. But he couldn’t speak English. Another Guatemalan couldn’t speak the first Guatemalan’s language exactly, but he could get even closer. He couldn’t speak Spanish though.

So, the chain went like this: First Guatemalan to second Guatemalan. Second Guatemalan’s dialect was closer to the one the Mexican knew, so second Guatemalan translated for Mexican. Mexican translated into Spanish. My translator translated into English for me.

Bet there’s a lot of that going on.

This would be funny if it weren’t so absolutely tragic. What kind of society will we soon have when (at least in this generation) we are no longer able to communicate with one another. The distrust and resentment will breed conflict and antagonism and without communication a cohesive and integrated society will be a thing of the past. How will this nation survive?

 

[Seamus_L]

In a nutshell, the message I seem to be hearing is, the entire world has the right to move into the United States and if I disagree with that then I’m disagreeing with the church’s teaching.

 

[Tigg]

In a nutshell, the message I seem to be hearing is, the entire world has the right to move into the United States and if I disagree with that then I’m disagreeing with the church’s teaching.

Something shadowy has happened to the SJ teaching of the church over the past few years as the political aspects outweigh the moral. Why has the message of some church officials been to advance statism? That is inconsistent with earlier social encyclicals.

 

[EIF5A]

Something shadowy has happened to the SJ teaching of the church over the past few years as the political aspects outweigh the moral. Why has the message of some church officials been to advance statism? That is inconsistent with earlier social encyclicals.

What is our moral duty as a more prosperous nation?

The common complaints I hear about (illegal) immigrants are lack of assimilation (e.g., not learning the English language) and using up economic resources for healthcare and education. (I’m not being a “nativist” — I’m an immigrant myself, and I share similar sentiments about particular ethnic groups that never give up their previous national identity.)

How do we prevent from becoming a dysfunctional (and bankrupt) nation without failing to carry out a moral obligation?

Is the better solution to help our neighboring countries become stabilized? How much resources do we allocate to fight rampant gang violence in those countries when we face the same problems in the streets of urban areas?

 

[Robert_Sock]

Let us also consider what Christ thinks about the million aborted yearly. And why would those who abort the million somehow become responsible for others children who can’t be responsible for their children and didn’t abort them?

There’s a million reasons not to take care of the Children, just ask the abortionists.

Lets look at you earlier argument also, Americas don’t support the drug cartel, in fact most Americans don’t use drugs, thus, the fact they exist isn’t a contingent of those who don’t use drugs. Which is why marijuana gets a no-go from most of us. Not an American universal just like obviously taking care of children isn’t. And no one is blaming the children for anything, but accepting the children by a narrow paradigm of those who use drugs would in fact leave those who use drugs to care for the children. Obviously they won’t be taking of the children.

So who should volunteer? The abortionists and drug users who scream for equal rights? Are they lining up to care for the children crossing the border.

Or should those who actually raised their own family be responsible, who care for their own kids and their friends children when need be, who don’t believe in abortion or drug use and don’t teach it to the kids. Seems to me these people here have their own responsible plan in fact becoming a reality. And if they help out then truly that is charity. They are not obligated to do this, they do it because they do care.

So where is the “other” 51 percent? Seems to me those who want equal rights also want to be taken care of? But they don’t want to care for anyone including themselves.

Just saying.

Promoting the welfare of these poor children is everybody’s moral responsibility. What does abortions have to do with anything in this thread? Does our promoting evil in one situation in any way lessen our moral responsibility to show compassion towards our neighbor in another situation?

LOVE!

 

[Mark121359]

***What is our moral duty ***as a more prosperous nation?
How do we prevent from becoming a dysfunctional (and bankrupt) nation without failing to carry out a moral obligation?

Morals? How do we prevent from becoming a dysfunctional and bankrupt nation? What morals? We’re already a dysfunctional and bankrupt nation. What with abortion on demand, including partial birth. America has already killed enough of its unborn to easily surpass Nazi Germany’s extermination camps. The number of divorces and illegitimate births are exploding, with cohabitation being more accepted than marriage. And now, so-called gay marriage is becoming the norm. And if I happen to oppose it, because of my religious beliefs, I’m branded a “homophobe” or worse. Sex is doing the selling for practically everything. Pornography is rampant…even among Catholics. Inappropriate sex education for little children in public schools. Books pushed towards young children such as “Heather Has Two Mommies.” We’re now more pagan than Europe! All of these things, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. A dysfunctional and bankrupt nation?..If you’re asking me, that ship has already sailed a long, long time ago.

Peace, Mark