Child advocates across the country say they’re concerned about Texas’ practice of busing migrants to other states and its impact on children.
So far, the state has bused more than 105,000 migrants seeking asylum to other states under Operation Lone Star, a multi-agency effort that involves the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas National Guard.
Gov. Greg Abbott has said the state is sending undocumented immigrants to sanctuary cities because the Biden administration isn’t doing enough to secure the border.
But child advocates say many young migrants who’ve arrived at the border seeking asylum have experienced traumatic journeys to get here and that more should be done to ensure they don’t experience more trauma.
Bob Sanborn, CEO and president of Houston-based Children At Risk, said putting families on buses that arrive in cities at all hours of the night is wrong.
“What we're asking is that we should let these families know where they're going. We should help them decide where they are going to go,” Sanborn said, adding that Texas should coordinate with local agencies in other states as well as the federal government.
"They should be arriving at reasonable times so that the corresponding groups in those cities have the opportunity to meet them and treat them and work with them to make sure there is no trauma,” he said.
Sanborn said migrants who’ve come to border seeking asylum are following U.S. immigration policy and that the least the U.S. could do is to make sure that children are evaluated and cared for when they arrive.
Linda Corchado, Senior Director of Immigration for Children at Risk, said medical and mental health professionals should be involved in this effort. She and other critics say Texas is using migrant families as political pawns.
"Their lives are further destabilized by politics,” she said. “Under situations where they will likely face homelessness, poverty, hunger and fear, what began as Texas' political statement against border politics has turned into policies that are endangering children."
Advocates say migrant children face higher rates of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress syndrome in part because of the enormous challenges they face in fleeing their countries to come to the U.S.
Got a tip? Email Stella M. Chávez at schavez@kera.org. You can follow Stella on Twitter @stellamchavez.
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