On Wednesday, The New York Times published an article of a man carrying a small child through a desolate cornfield. The man was a U.S. Border Patrol agent, and the child was a 3-year-old whom smugglers apparently had abandoned. The child鈥檚 name and a phone number were written on his shoes.
The Times鈥� , who co-reported the story, says these cases are more common than some may think. Indeed, according to the article, Border Patrol apprehended almost 9,000 unaccompanied children in March alone. He says that鈥檚 because often when families from Central America 鈥� primarily from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador 鈥� flee their country to come to the U.S., members don鈥檛 always come together.
鈥淭he entire family doesn鈥檛 come; you鈥檒l have one or two children left behind from that family,鈥� Fernandez says. 鈥淪o you have people who have the child at that point, who are not the child鈥檚 guardians and sometimes who are being paid only to deliver the child.鈥�
He says Border Patrol told him smugglers, who are sometimes the ones bringing a child to the U.S., tell the family to write identifying information on the child so that Border Patrol will know who they are, and, in theory, be able to more easily reunite them with relatives.
鈥淭hese families get so desperate that, to them, it makes sense,鈥� Fernandez says. 鈥淭o them, they think, 鈥極kay, I鈥檓 gonna give my child to this person, I鈥檓 gonna pay for this service,' and they promise to give them to the Border Patrol, not really understanding, I think, the danger that they鈥檙e putting their child in.鈥�
As for the 3-year-old in Fernandez鈥檚 story, he says Border Patrol has not yet been able to reunite him with his family. He says they tried the phone number written on his shoes, but the agency said the numbers 鈥渨ere not a big help.鈥� Right now, the boy is in Border Patrol custody in McAllen.
鈥淗e鈥檚 being cared for by these contracted child care workers that work at that facility,鈥� Fernandez says. 鈥淭hey work at that facility because they have so many of these very young, unaccompanied children who come in there.鈥�
He says dealing with the wave of unaccompanied child migrants is emotionally difficult for Border Patrol agents, many of whom are parents.
鈥淭hey do these little things for these kids,鈥� Fernandez says.
One agent bought the 3-year-old boy new clothes.
鈥淗uman nature, and small children just being left alone 鈥� it tugs at the heartstrings of everyone,鈥� Fernandez says.
Written by Caroline Covington.
Copyright 2020 KUT 90.5. To see more, visit . 9(MDAxODQzOTgwMDEyMTcyNjI4MTAxYWQyMw004))
