Number Of Unaccompanied Children Migrating From Central America Plunges, Report Says
SYOSSET, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The number of unaccompanied minors illegally entering the United States, including Long Island, has dropped significantly, according to a new report.
Nearly 54,000 unaccompanied children illegally entered the U.S. from Central America last year, according to the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement. In 2015, that number has plummeted to about 17,000.
Most of the minors have come from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, leaving their poverty-stricken countries, WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported. Long Island was housing more immigrant children detained at the border than anywhere else in the region in 2014.
"There's several reasons why the numbers have dropped," said Maryann Sinclair Slutsky, executive director of Long Island Wins, a nonprofit organization that focuses on immigration issues. "It is a very, very difficult journey for these children to cross the desert and leave their homes and make it across our border."
The children who are arriving on Long Island are joining relatives, Slutsky said. And the biggest impact has been with the school districts.
"There's been issues with enrollment," she said. "Some of the school districts don't understand really what the process should be."