Today, Congresswoman Kay Granger (TX-12), Chairwoman of the House State and Foreign Operations Appropriations subcommittee, offered an amendment during the full committee markup of the FY 2015 State and Foreign Operations bill to provide a significant boost in the resources available to the United States to help stop the flow of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) crossing the southern border of the U.S., which has turned into a humanitarian and national security crisis.

The FY 15 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations amendment, which the full committee approved, provides $120 million for assistance to Mexico and Central American countries to enhance border security, combat human trafficking and smuggling, for repatriation and reintegration programs, and to support a regional dialogue on related issues to UAC being apprehended along the U.S. border.  

“This commitment signals the serious and immediate efforts that must be made to fully address the crisis that has developed along our southern border, including my home state of Texas,” said Granger. “We know the majority of the unaccompanied children are traveling from only a handful of countries, so it’s vital that we focus our efforts on Mexico and Central America to resolve this crisis.”

Granger’s amendment includes $120 million to support  the  following initiatives  for Mexico and  Central American  countries: $88,000,000  for  enhanced  border  security  initiatives,  with  a  focus on  the southern  border of Mexico; $20,000,000  to combat human  trafficking  and  smuggling; $10,000,000 to support the repatriation  and reintegration of citizens from such countries; and $2,000,000 to support a regional dialogue on such issues.

The majority of the UAC being apprehended in the United States are originating from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and traveling through Mexico to the U.S.