Official White House Photo by Pete Souza(WASHINGTON) — With tens of thousands of children from Central America having illegally crossed into the U.S. this year, President Obama will ask Congress Monday for $2 billion in emergency funding to tighten border security and hasten deportations, according to The New York Times.
Since the influx began earlier this year, numerous agencies have coordinated efforts to house these migrants in temporary shelters while attempting to unite some with family members who live in the U.S.
Many of those who arrived in the U.S. don’t qualify for legal status.
Efforts to fast track children from Mexico back home have already begun, but the U.S. has yet to set up the same procedures with the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
Meanwhile, the administration wants to also toughen penalties against smugglers and smuggler networks that transport immigrants, often under unsafe conditions.
Last week, in an interview with ABC News, the president delivered a message to parents in Central America, saying, “Do not send your children to the borders. If they do make it, they’ll get sent back. More importantly, they may not make it.”
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