Roosevelt House Presents Journalist Anna-Catherine Brigida "Reporting between Borders" - Illegal and Immoral Immigrating of Minors

Monday evening, free-lance journalist Anna-Catherine Brigida, spoke regarding her reporting of migrants from Honduras to the US/Mexico border.  Sissel McCarthy, Dir. of Journalism for Hunter College moderated.  This seems to be a very prescient topic as 3 million Ukrainians are displaced from their war torn homes and fleeing to neighboring countries seeking safety.  The contrast between Ukrainian refugees fleeing their homes and families is crucial.  Migrants fleeing Honduras are seeking financial opportunities for themselves and their families.  Brigida has covered the migrant trails from Honduras into the US since 2015. The comparison between S. American migrants seeking refuge in the US and the millions of Ukrainians is the former is for financial security and the later is a necessity for survival.  Brigida reports have appeared in TIME, The WASHINGTON POST and Al Jazeera on the Honduras refugees.  Her stories depict dire situations of poverty and a quest for better financial opportunities.  Her reporting touched upon growing number of minors traveling unaccompanied.  This is where my focus shifted from the harrowing travails of migrants to the abhorrent encouragement families offer their teens for attempting  to venture on their own.  An article appeared in the BBC of March 2021, interviewing Marco Antulio, father to Anderson (age 16 at the time) who abetted his son to attempt what I view as an illegal and crossing.  Antulio stated "{I} understand that some might consider it irresponsible to let a minor travel alone but people {do} not know the pressures they were under to survive."  Anderson planned to return in five or six years, having sent money for the family to build a decent home.  Antulio went on to say, "as a father you have to look at which is the most viable option so they have a better life.  So they don't live the same as us."  More than 95,000 unaccompanied minors entered the US from S. America in 2021.  This is an egregious and perilous journey that must be stopped.  Financial support from the US should be sent to S. American countries rather than the exorbitant financial burdens placed on our federal government.  These children are often exploited, cannot easily gain employment and the vicious and oftentimes fatal consequences of permitting illegal minors from entering must not be tolerated.  A clear message signifying  unaccompanied minors will be deported should be instigated to stop these horrendous migrations.  This was not the direction of Brigida's journalist talk.  However, it's my strong assertions resources must be directed to help war refugees from Ukraine and the US must stop acting an open border, open bank for impoverished countries.