Children’s Experiences On The Central America–Mexico–United States Migration Corridor: Data And Policy

In the Americas, 192 migration-related child deaths have been recorded since 2014, although the actual number is likely much higher due to gaps in the data. Countless other migrant children have fallen ill, become separated from their families, or otherwise slipped through the cracks. In the Migration Policy Practice journal issue entitled “Children’s Experiences On The Central America–Mexico–United States Migration Corridor: Data And Policy,” multiple experts highlight the special plight of migrant children and the lack of research and data particularly on indigenous, Asian, and African children. One author point outs that “little is known about how race, class and gender shape their journeys, their encounters with each other on the migration trail, and the mechanisms they deploy to counter risk or violence at the hands of State actors, criminal actors and other adults.” Another author calls attention to the lax enforcement of laws meant to protect migrant children in both the U.S. and Mexico. The articles provide recommendations for State and other actors including advocacy for ending the detention of migrant children, providing translators and interpreters, implementing anti-racism training, recognizing migrants’ nationalities, and commissioning a study on extracontinental migrant children. (Kyla Schmitt)