Updated 03:24 AM EDT, Fri, Mar 29, 2024

With Detention Centers Full, Undocumented Mothers and Children Paroled, Left At Bus Stops

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Hot, dirty cells. Overcrowded holding centers, rife with the smell of sweat and body odor. Tin-foil blankets. All too often, these are the conditions in which men, women and children caught crossing America's borders illegally must live as they wait out removal proceedings.

But with the large numbers of Central American immigrants flowing into the United States, authorities have come up with a new way of handling the undocumented a number of women and children. Rather than taking them into custody, Border Patrol agents are taking them at bus stations instead.

The recent influx of Central American immigrants into the United States has left Border Patrol agents with their hands full. Their detention centers are not big enough to hold all of the detainees, so many are taken to bus stations with papers that stamped with the date when to report back for sentencing.

What has now been deemed as "immigrant parole" is becoming a common theme now that housing has reached maximum capacity.

With growing violence, drug trafficking and poverty a looming issue in Central America, immigrants are fleeing to the United States in greater numbers. The logistics of deportation to Mexico are far easier than to countries such as Nicaragua or Guatemala, which is why overcrowding has become such an issue for immigrants from these areas.

Traditionally, Mexican immigrants who are to be deported will simply be put on a bus for a quick trip back across the border. When dealing with Central American immigrants in countries much further away than Mexico, the deportation methods are harder to come by.

It is not yet clear how many of the "paroled" Central American immigrants will return to the designated cities for their sentencing. Due to the high numbers of detainees, many undocumented mothers and children are being put on buses to stay with family members who currently live in the United States.

In the case 28-year-old Ana Maria and her 10-year-old daughter, the duo will be sent to Portland, Oregon to be reunited with their Ana Maria's husband. It has been three years since the three of them have been together.

Maria was interviewed by CNN and told reporters, "I do not want to go back to Guatemala. I came here to fight."

It is not yet known how the Boarder Patrol decides between detention or freedom on "parole" for immigrants. For now, the majority of parolees appear to be mothers and children who are attempting to stay in the U.S. under asylum.

The United States accepts asylum requests from all immigrants out of Cuba as part an agreement that President Clinton signed with Castro in 1995.

In the late 1980's, asylum was given to Central Americans, and an estimated 1 million immigrants made the trip across the U.S. border. After the number of immigrants skyrocketed, U.S. policymakers made claiming asylum a more difficult task in response.

Following the policy changes, Border Patrol agents now have more freedom to engage in "expedited removal," which does not allow the immigrant to file a claim for asylum.

Until immigration reform finds a way to reduce the numbers of Central Americans flowing across the border, the U.S. is likely to see the trend of releasing undocumented mothers and children at bus stations continue. After all, they've got nowhere else to go.

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