US announces measures to stem flow of migrant children and expedite their processing

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a series of new measures and the redistribution of resources to address more efficiently and quickly the cases of children who are crossing the border illegally without the company of an adult.

According to the announcement, priority will be given to cases of unaccompanied children; families who recently crossed the border and are in detention centers; families who recently crossed the border and are released under alternative detention methods such as shackling; and cases of other detainees.

The initiative is intended to stem the flow of migrants crossing the border and expedite their deportation processes.

To this end, they will hire new judges and reassign other immigration judges from around the country to process the cases of these newly arrived immigrants.

According to the DOJ, these measures will ensure that cases are processed "quickly and fairly" to expedite deportations in appropriate cases, while ensuring the protection of applicants for immigration benefits such as asylum and special immigrant juvenile status.

DOJ is also seeking funding to send legal advisors to U.S. embassies in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to help authorities in those countries identify, disrupt and dismantle migrant smuggling networks and assist Central American countries in combating violence and organized crime.

In addition, he announced that he will work more closely with the Mexican government to identify and apprehend the smugglers who are helping these children cross the border.