Post by M. Hawbaker on Jul 9, 2019 14:42:51 GMT
Claims have surfaced in Tijuana, Mexico, that some migrants are attempting to buy children from single mothers in local shelters in order to increase their chances of crossing the US border.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, current law temporarily separates children who cross the border from the adult they crossed with, then releases them back into their guardian’s custody while they wait for their asylum cases to work through the immigration courts. Many migrants are manipulating this law to grant themselves easy access to the US.
“I can’t go to work because I can’t take my eyes off my boys,” said Antonia Portillo Cruz. As a 44-year-old migrant from Honduras who lives in the shelter where the men are targeting, Cruz has seen men approach women with an offer to purchase their children for 7,000 pesos or $350 each. She now keeps a close eye on her two boys, ages 10 and 8, for fear that the offers may become kidnappings.
