A U.S. judge has awarded $1.5 million to 2 children who were detained for 34 hours while trying to cross the border. It turned out the children happened to be U.S. citizens and crossed the U.S.-Mexico border to go to school. Why would the children live in Mexico but go to school in the U.S.? Probably their parents illegally lived in the U.S. and then later got deported. But the children got U.S. citizenship because they were born in the U.S. And the parents prefer them to go to school in the U.S. because the schools are better funded and they can then get an English language education so they will be able to later live in the U.S., a country with more opportunity. Maybe the children should be awarded some monetary compensation. But $1.5 million seems more than very excessive. Something tells me this judge is probably a progressive activist who is sympathetic to illegal immigration. Oscar Amparo Medina and his sister Julia Isabel Amparo were 14 and 9 years old, respectively, in March 2019 when they were stopped at the Tijuana-San Ysidro, California, border crossing while heading to school in San Ysidro. Law enforcement officers suspected the nine and 14-year-old of lying about their identities and thought the older child could have been trafficking the younger. Family of Two Young U.S. Citizens Awarded Over $1.5 Million for Being Falsely Imprisoned by Border Patrol, Homeland Security Today, June 27, 2024 The border patrol officer claimed the girl depicted in her passport photo was different than the child in front of them, because the picture showed either a "mole" or "dot" on the child’s face that was not visible when she showed up to the border crossing. A border patrol then interrogated the young girl alone and allegedly pressured and coerced her into making a false confession (which would not be uncommon for young children). They then also got a false confession out of the brother, through hours of interrogations, intimidation and promises he would be released if he signed a confession. A short time later, the brother was then released, but not the younger girl, who ended up being held longer. Apparently the border agents realized they did not have enough proof to continue to hold the brother, but were still worried about the possibility that the teen might have been trafficking the girl, so did not want to release her to him, and apparently she was too young to be sent off on her own. For those who do not know, it's very common for agents at the border to get very invasive when they suspect anything. People do not have the same level of personal rights while crossing the border that they have in other situations. Some accuse the Biden Administration of implementing policies that tie the hands of border agents and make it impractically difficult for them to do their job.
There is also the whole issue of children being provided public education in the U.S., even though the children live with their parents right across the border in Mexico, and the parents are not residents of the U.S. or working in the U.S. Children cross Mexican border to receive a U.S. education, Lyndsey Layton, Washington Post, September 20, 2013 Nearly three out of four students at Columbus Elementary (in the U.S.), the school closest to the border, live in Palomas (Mexico) and were born to Mexican parents. The Palomas children are American because of a long-standing state and federal policy that allows Mexican women to deliver their babies at the nearest hospital, which happens to be 30 miles north of the border in Deming, N.M., the seat of Luna County. About 94 percent of the children at the school are living in poverty, and nearly all 570 students are considered English-language learners - classifications that entitle the school to extra federal dollars. In many cases, their parents have no legal way to enter the United States and are stuck on the Palomas side, unable to step inside their children's schools. "They drop a kid and we're paying for schools, medical, Social Security," said Mark Reshel, 64, a retired Marine with short-cropped hair, referring to the fact that Mexican women have been giving birth at his county hospital. "The Mexican people are taking advantage of U.S. citizens, who are educating their children," said June Riddle, a retiree. "It is hard on property owners here." Children cross Mexican border to receive a U.S. education - The Washington Post The state of California passed a law allowing low-income students from Mexico who live within 45 miles of the border to pay in-state tuition at eligible local community colleges, up to 150 students per college. Assembly Bill 91 was introduced was signed into law by Governor Newsom October 13, 2023 Thousands of Mexican children are flocking across the U.S. border to attend school, sparking a debate in towns along the border over whether U.S. taxpayers should have to bear the costs of educating them. Many of the students were born in U.S. hospitals, making them U.S. citizens who live in Mexico. Others use the addresses of American friends or relatives. Thousands of Mexican Children Attend US Public Schools (banderasnews.com), May 2007 Students who live in Tijuana but attend school in San Diego now have access to a "fast lane" that allows them to cross the border much faster in the morning. This expedited access will only be available between 6 and 10 a.m. at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Tijuana Mayor Montserrat Caballero Ramírez said the pilot program will include passes for the first 500 students who sign up and pay a fee of 800 pesos, or about $47. "We hope this is a benefit for many young people who suffer daily at times when having to get in line by two in the morning," she said. To sign up for the pass, U.S.-born students must have a valid birth certificate issued in the U.S., proof of residency in Tijuana, student I.D. and official transcripts from their schools. Students born in Mexico must have F1 and M1 student visas. While applauding the program, the Smart Border Coalition says most Tijuana students will be left out considering 10,000 cross the border daily. 'Fast pass' available for border-crossing students at San Ysidro Port of Entry | Border Report (fox5sandiego.com), Salvador Rivera, March 1, 2024
They harassed these America children for hours and got false confessions out of them, sad! They had their passports and were on their way to school, they cross the border daily, didn't they remember them 9 and 14 years old, they know the American language well, did they even try to call the school?
I am a use citizen but you won't find a judge who will let me cross through an unsanctioned port of entry. Also, If they aren't living in this country, they should not be enrolled in our schools. They aren't paying taxes to the school systems.
Even US citizens cannot cross a border through an illegal port of entry. Having a passport won't save you. This judge is definitely an activist judge.
sounds like they crossed at the border crossing "Oscar Amparo Medina and his sister Julia Isabel Amparo were 14 and nine years old, respectively, in March 2019 when they were stopped at the Tijuana-San Ysidro, California, border crossing while heading to school in San Ysidro."
The that is why they were awarded the compensation. If you go to a proper port of entry but don't have proper ID, they should send you back. If you have proper ID they should let you through. There was no reason to hold them unless they found drugs or illegal items on them. 1.5million is a rediculous amount though. There are people who are found to be innocent after years of jail and never get any compensation. 35hrs isn't worth 1.5million. They can hold me for $45,000 an hour
I think cause they were children and the integration was so intense that they confessed to crimes they did not commit