Illegal youth come to the U.S. because they are threatened

Over the past few years, thousands of children under the age of 18 have fled Central America, hitched rides on top of trains through Mexico, and crossed into the United States on their own. On the way, they often suffer sexual assault or violence.; which means there motive for leaving their home country has a darker side.  The US government is ill-equipped to deal with this influx of child migrants from Central America into the Rio Grande Valley in Texas (where most of them arrive). Different federal agencies are responsible for taking the children in, finding housing for them, and processing their immigration cases. But, as the number of children crossing into the country from Central America has exploded — rising fivefold since 2011 — those agencies can’t keep up.