Los Niños de la Frontera

• In Event: Mexico-U.S. Border Relations

Abstract

In the past few years a noticeable difference has been apparent in the immigration of unaccompanied children across the southern border of The United States. The problem of children crossing alone is nothing new, what is new is a sudden increase in the number of children attempting to cross. The majority of these children make their voyage from Central America across Mexico to the United States. Various speculations on exist on why these young children embark on such a journey. Many of the children have been apprehended while trying to cross the United States border. One of the notions of why this is occurring is linked to politics. Many of President Obama’s critics blame his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. They emphasize that this act has created a false belief that children would be able allow to stay once they arrived to the United States. This presentation goes beyond the political context, and instead analyzes potential environmental factors that push children to take such long and dangerous journey. Reckless’s containment theory will be used to analyze and explain this phenomena.

Authors

• Viridiana Reyes, Emporia State University

• Lesly Rojas-Rangel, Emporia State University