Migrant children in US: The ‘cards are stacked against’ them

Children travelling alone in search of protection are allowed into the US, but face a host of hurdles once they arrive.

Fleeing poverty and gang violence, thousands of Central American children continue to trek alone towards the US-Mexico border hoping for a chance at a new life in the United States. Since coming into office in January, President Joe Biden has expelled the vast majority of migrant adults and families under a public health order that his predecessor Donald Trump put in place. But the Biden administration allows children travelling without a parent or guardian to enter the country to unite with relatives while they pursue their asylum claims, acknowledging that turning them away would endanger their lives.