New Wave of Migrants: Under 21

After walking for two nights through the mountains into the United States, the teenagers were caught by Border Patrol agents and deported back to Tijuana.

Diego and Jose are just two of the thousands of unaccompanied minors who attempt to enter the United States illegally each year and are deported to the dangerous Mexican border towns. This growing phenomenon has caught the attention of the international organizations that are concerned over the risks these young people are exposed to.

More than 22,000 unaccompanied minors were deported from the United States in 2005, according to Theresa Kilbane, program officer for UNICEF Mexico. Kilbane was among a group of human rights organizers, social researchers and immigration experts who discussed how to protect unaccompanied minors from unsafe conditions at a June 7 seminar at the Northern Frontier College, a Mexican border issues investigation center.

According to immigration experts, the riskiest factor for these minors is the deportation process. The U.S. and Mexican governments have agreed on conditions to create a dignified, orderly and safe removal process. But only two border cities currently follow these stipulations for Border patrol agents, and in some cities, minors are deported in the middle of the night.

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