This week President Barack Obama has requested that the President of El Salvador, Salvador Sanchez; Guatemala, Otto Perez Molina; and Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, convene with him at the White House. The purpose of the meeting is to collaborate on the increased and rising number of migrant children crossing the US-Mexico border from Central America. Obama has deemed the migrant children border crossings as a humanitarian crisis, but critics believe that it is proof that the President has not developed a plan with Mexico to secure the border. In most cases, the immigrants themselves are not Mexican, but instead travel from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. Therefore, Obama believes that cooperation between the U.S., and the home countries of the immigrant children will possibly create a more secure, legal and organized migration experience between all the countries involved. In previous discussions between the Central American Presidents and Obama, all parties seemed in agreement that a partnership could in theory, secure the border of the United States. The challenge for President Obama is that despite the steps that are being taken to develop a solution, he must also remember the rights of the children attempting to seek political asylummust, as promised, not be undercut.
At the same time, President Obama is quick to state that all children without legal ties must have their cases processed quickly, in order to deport them to their home countries in an expeditious manner. Recent statistics have demonstrated to White House officials that the number of migrant children appears to be dropping. To be more specific, the number of children crossing into the U.S. daily has declined by 120. Officials stated that this drop from 1,985 migrant children in mid-June of this year to 362 as of July 15, 2014, has motivated them to further address this issue with a greater possibility of a solution. Despite this, President Obama believes that this crisis cannot be resolved neither through long distance discussions nor without the support of the three leading Central American countries. In the meantime, President Obama is currently waiting for the impending approval from Congress for $3.7 billion USD that would be allocated to further expand and heighten border security. If approved, a portion of this money will also be allotted for the judicial process to help expedite and care for the 57,000 unaccompanied children that have arrived in the United States since last year. It remains uncertain as to why the numbers have been declining, but it does bring a sense of optimism to the U.S. that normality will soon be restored, and a solution can be created to resolve any future incidents or immigration waves. Either way, with a continual decline in the numbers, there is hope that this may be the last request Obama will to make for financial support.