I call them that, these children who are traveling up from Central America, mostly unaccompanied by adults, to cross the southern border into the United States. It’s a long, dangerous trek of more than a thousand miles. Once here, they’ve made it—big time. Current law protects them from being immediately deported because they come from countries not bordering on the United States, such as Guatemala or Honduras.

Once they cross the border these kids become wards of the state, which is obliged to provide food, clothing and shelter for them, and legal defense, over the months and years it will take the government to build a case to deport them. Approximately half of these children will not attend their deportation hearings; they will slip into the shadows instead. Some will stay with relatives already living in the U.S. Who are these people? Are they illegals themselves? Do they live on welfare? Carry infectious diseases? How many kids will be swept into the drug trade or prostitution here?

In most cases, the long journey was facilitated by cross-border gangs like MS-13, which charge from five to eight grand per child. The gangs are big winners in all this.

I call them Kamikaze Kids because they go all out—do or die. They are an embarrassment to the Obama administration because they demonstrate that the border us far from secure. How can we have comprehensive immigration reform if we cannot protect ourselves from an invasion of children?

This is no laughing matter. Each child represents a financial time bomb, costing someone, the taxpayer, tens of thousands of dollars over the months and years needed to raise a child to maturity, to provide a stable family setting, presents on birthdays and at Christmas. Online estimates for child care at the rudimentary level range from $250 to $1000 per day. Who is going to pay for all this? Can the government force you to adopt one of these children? Will it build refugee camps around the country?

Yes, life is horrible in these Central American countries, with their high murder rates. Life is also tough for American children, especially those raised by single parents or relatives in the projects. While Americans may have infinite dreams and good intentions, our society does not have infinite resources. It would be immoral to favor foreign-born children over American children. We don’t have sufficient candy canes to hand out to everyone.

There are those who say this is not the time to talk tough about protecting the border. I say it’s always a good time to protect the border and prevent one more burden from undermining the middle class and thereby putting all our children at risk.

 Copyright 2014 by Hudson Owen. All Rights Reserved.