Congressman Garcia Meets with Central American Ambassadors in Response to Humanitarian Crisis

Press Release

As the number of unaccompanied immigrant children arriving at the border continues to rise, U.S. and foreign officials are deeply concerned about the situation. Today, Congressman Joe Garcia met with Central American ambassadors and other national leaders to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis and ways to work together to stem this serious issue. In the meeting, the foreign ambassadors expressed their reservations about sending the children back to their hometowns where they face grave and dangerous situations.

First and foremost this is a humanitarian crisis. We are dealing with how best to support, and protect, these children who have faced violence back at home and abroad. It is my hope that we are going to do right by our country and right by these children, " said Garcia. "This is an extremely sad and unfortunate situation. When I visited one of the shelters in Miami earlier this week, their stories were simply heartbreaking. We must help these children deal with the trauma they have faced in their quest for safety and freedom from the grave situations in their countries."

Over the last two years, the United States has seen an influx of unaccompanied children at the border. Some reports estimate as many as 90,000 children will arrive in the United States this year. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the US Council of Catholic Bishops, and the Women's Refugee Commission, the number one reason these children are leaving their homes is to escape endemic violence, including extortion, killings, and forced recruitment into street gangs.

While in previous years, the majority of the minors were older teens, mostly male, now, it is much more common to see children under the age of 12, and almost half of them are girls. Many of these girls experience trauma and sexual violence during their journey, often becoming pregnant from rape that occurred either in their home country or during migration.

Because shelters along the border are unable to accommodate a large number of individuals, many of them are being relocated to facilities and shelters across the country, including Miami. However, many of these centers are simply running out of space.

"The crisis is not only on our doorstep but is being felt regionally as well. This is not an inconvenient immigration problem, it is a refugee-like situation and a child protection issue," Garcia continued. "There is no simple and swift solution. It is complex and needs both short-term and long-term attention and solutions."

Over the last several days, Congressman Garcia has been very engaged on the issue. On Monday, he held a conference call with local leaders from Central America to discuss this crisis affecting our communities. And just yesterday, he visited a local shelter in Miami Dade where many of the children are being temporarily housed.

"Although the children at this one specific facility are in good hands and being treated with the utmost care and compassion, that is not the case for many of the other children in facilities around the country and we must do all we can to ensure we are doing what is in the best interest of these children."

This recent issue comes at the height of the comprehensive immigration reform debate in Washington. For months, national leaders, immigrant groups, and others, have pled with Congress to bring immigration reform to the floor for a vote. Despite several attempts, including a discharge petition led by Congressman Garcia, the issue has stalled.

"What this boils down to is a need for comprehensive immigration reform -- legislation that will reunite families, strengthen our economy, and reestablish what this country was founded upon," continued Garcia. "This issue goes beyond what we see here. We cannot afford to wait to address the bigger immigration issues we are facing in this nation."

Congressman Garcia has long been a leader on this topic, introducing a bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill, HR 15, late last year, as well as making a continuous call on Congress to vote on this issue.

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