Ahead of the Easter holidays, we told you about Belize's Migrant child, a 12-year-old girl called Ashley who'd made the arduous journey to the United States via Mexico traveling at least part of the way on her own.
She managed to turn herself over to U.S. immigration and entered the country as an unaccompanied minor. Ashley had hoped to be reunited with her father who's been living in the U.S. for over a decade. It's a risk that he told us the family was forced to make after a year of COVID-induced economic hardship. And while Ashley's story may be on the brink of a happily ever after it could have turned out very differently.
That's what US Charge'd Affairs Keith Gilges believes, we asked him about this unique case today and he said that he wouldn't recommend parents roll the dice on unaccompanied minors:
Keith Giles - Charge D'Affaires "I'm aware of it, I think I saw the same video that a lot of other people saw on social media. Listen immigration to the United States that is legal, is good for the United States. Irregular illegal migration is dangerous and that story in the end for the parents may have had a happy ending but that lucky and really dangerous. As a parent, imagine sending your 8,9, 10, 12, 15 year old child on the road all the way through Mexico to get to the border of the United States, there are so many things that could go wrong with that and so we want to make sure that we discourage. There's a way to do this, there are mechanisms, there are opportunities but sending your kid alone through Mexico up the border of the United States is not great way and it is not necessarily a recipe for success."
We got an update on Ashley from her sister this morning. Via text she told us that the 12-year-old has yet to be reunited with her father but she says that he is filling out the requisite forms and expects to be allowed to see Ashley very soon.
