Jun 25, 2014 - LATINO LEADERSHIP RESPONDS TO HUMANITARIAN CRISIS DRIVING UNACCOMPANIED YOUTH TO THE U.S.

Washington, D.C. Today, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 37 of the nation’s preeminent Latino organizations, issued the following statement regarding the growing number of unaccompanied youth arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border:

We are alarmed by the humanitarian crisis seen in the influx of unaccompanied youth risking their lives in order to escape violence in their home countries. The growing number of unaccompanied children arriving at the southern border, many of whom are girls, presents a humanitarian crisis. Not only is there a large number of young refugees being received by U.S. authorities, but these young people are enduring treacherous journeys – often facing abuse, sexual assault, and exploitation as they flee dangerous conditions in their home countries – in order to reach the U.S.

The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda calls on the U.S. government to treat these vulnerable young refugees humanely as their cases are reviewed. We must be sensitive to the fact that most of these youth have survived traumatic experiences. Based on their age and trauma, it is all the more important to go to the greatest lengths possible to respect their due process rights, such as access to culturally competent counsel and interpreters, especially for those who speak indigenous languages.

“While some in Congress may want to make this a political issue, the reality is that the influx of youth is evidence of a deeper-rooted humanitarian crisis that is region specific to the violence-stricken countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador,” said Hector E. Sanchez, NHLA Chair and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. “The assertion that this crisis is a direct result of the Obama Administration’s immigration and enforcement policies is simply false and is diluting the severity of the real issue at hand."

We welcome the U.S. government’s initial efforts to improve conditions in the countries of origin as a way to address this humanitarian crisis. We believe that it is imperative to place the well-being of children, as well as the principle of family unity, as central premises in promptly resolving this challenging situation. We would like to encourage our nation’s leaders to work towards a sustained, long-term policy solution, involving governments and civil society organizations to address the severe poverty, income equality, and violence in migrants’ countries of origin, understanding that the well-being and security of their populations will provide the lasting solution to this humanitarian crisis.

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