Number Of Migrant Children In Mexico Increased 10-Fold In 2021, Help Needed - UN

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th April, 2021) The number of migrant children in Mexico has increased ten-fold since January and will require an emergency response to provide humanitarian needs for the coming months, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Monday.

"Since the start of 2021, the number of migrant children reported in Mexico has increased sharply from 380 to nearly 3,500, announced Jean Gough, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, after wrapping up a 5-day visit to Mexico, including stops along its northern border with the United States," UNICEF said in a press release.

Humanitarian needs are on the rise and expected to remain high in the coming months, the release said. At the current pace, about 150,000 migrant children in Mexico will need emergency and development assistance over the next two years, the release said.

UNICEF is seeking $23 million to help provide care for the migrants, the release said.

There are an average of 275 migrant children in Mexico every day who have been turned away at the border by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers or are waiting to cross into the United States, the release said. Children represent about 30 percent of the migrant population in Mexico, the release added.

US government data revealed that US border apprehensions soared by more than 70 percent in March. The 172,331 migrant encounters recorded make up the highest monthly total in more than two decades, with the Biden administration on pace to top the previous annual record set in 2019 of over 977,000 apprehensions.

About 48,500 migrant children have illegally crossed into the United States alone, without a parent, since October, according to the data. In March, a total of 18,890 migrant children were apprehended, marking a 100 percent increase compared to February.