US alarm at growing number of illegal child migrants (BBC)
US alarm at growing number of illegal child migrants
President Barack Obama has described the growing influx of unaccompanied children migrating to the United States as an "urgent humanitarian situation".
Latest estimates say as many as 60,000 children, mostly from Central America and Mexico, will enter the US illegally this year.
The White House has asked Congress for an extra $1.4bn (£836m) to cope with the situation.
It said the US would temporarily house the children at two military bases.
More than 90% of children caught trying to cross the Mexico-US border without parents come from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Many are escaping domestic abuse or the violent gangs that prey on them.
Others are driven by poverty in their home countries.
In the US, many of the children hope to reunite with a parent or other relatives.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-27675226