Immigration News: Barack Obama Asks Congress For Authority To Deport Central American Children

U.S. President Barack Obama has asked Congress to provide new funding of 2 billion dollars to deal with the influx of children arriving alone at the border, while seeking to give more authority to the Government to speed up the deportation of minors. According to the New York Times, a White House official confirmed that the president on Monday morning sent a letter informing Congress of his decision to seek "new resources and more flexibility" to deal with the arrival of immigrant children, and is expected to formally apply for funds from the 7th of July.

In addition to the application of those funds directed to humanitarian and security efforts combating the influx of children, Obama will ask Congress to revise the current rules to give more authority to the Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, in order to accelerate the deportation of these children. This week, Obama asked Central American parents in a television interview to stop sending their children to the United States. "If they come, we will send them back and, more importantly, they might not even make it" said Obama.

"I do not even know how many of these children do not succeed," said Obama, who also warned that many of the children can be victims of sex trafficking or even die by falling in the train while traveling. The arrival of unaccompanied minors at the border between the U.S. and Mexico exceeded 52,000 in the past nine months, according to figures from the Department of Homeland Security. About 39,000 adults were accompanying these children, authorities added.