(NewsNation) — Thousands of children are in the custody of U.S. government officials as a new surge of unaccompanied minors arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border.
One pair of girls, 7 and 10 years old interviewed by NewsNation, kept asking for their mother as tears were streaming down their faces. The girls believed their mother was already residing in the United States.
Former Homeland Security investigator Victor Avila explained some of the dynamics behind the appearance of minors at the border.
“Most of these children, at least in my experience, the case I investigated… the child was given up by the parent voluntarily. A lot of people think, well the cartel stole them from the parents… does that happen? Of course. But it’s rare,” he said.
Earlier this year, the federal government had as many as 10,000 unaccompanied children in custody.