Unaccompanied Children from the World
Israel Centeno
“Unaccompanied children in immigration are minors who enter a country without the presence of a responsible adult. For instance, in the United States, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is responsible for the care and placement of these children. The ORR ensures that unaccompanied children are placed in the least restrictive setting that aligns with their best interests, considering factors like safety and risk of flight.”
This morning, during my prayers, I remembered the children I cared for last year while working at a shelter. They were in transit, alone, after traveling thousands of miles. I often asked myself: What drives them to undertake such an uncertain journey? I don’t believe it is solely to escape gangs or to seek economic opportunity. It’s not just the alluring dream of America they see in movies or hear about in songs. It is something deeper and more desperate—a search for a place where they might earn a little more and support the families they left behind. They strive to break free from an unrelenting cycle of poverty; we are human, and it is impossible not to seek life where we believe it might reward us more. These were children burdened with necessity and responsibility, driven by poverty and violence, seeking to protect their loved ones.
Their eyes reflected profound suffering and premature maturity. Escaping did not guarantee them safety. Many had already endured abuse, and there was no assurance they wouldn’t face it again. Today, I prayed for them, that they would not be used as pawns in political agendas or as commodities for coyotes and organizations profiting from their plight. Too often, these same institutions assign them inexperienced caregivers, perpetuating a cycle of neglect.
“How can we ignore the plight of the stranger?” Scripture reminds us: “You shall not oppress a sojourner; you know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 23:9). How can we reflect on ourselves as individuals and as societies while turning a blind eye to this reality? There is an ethical dilemma in advocating for life from conception and then denying civil status to the very children for whom the right to life was defended. These children were born into adversity and are now rejected, expelled, and treated as mere problems, or as children unwanted by the world. This is not a political statement; it is a reflection grounded in faith and respect for human dignity.
“No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark,” a truth echoed by the psalmist: “The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow” (Psalm 146:9). No one embarks on a hostile journey by choice. They flee because they have no other options. Reflecting on this does not require an immediate solution or definitive answers, but it compels us to face a complex reality.
From a perspective of faith, the sacredness of life is undeniable. As the Lord commanded: “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself” (Leviticus 19:33-34). Each life is sacred and must be treated with justice and compassion, regardless of the circumstances surrounding its existence.
