Thousands of children trying to escape gang violence and poverty in Central America have made their way to the United States this year — and there is no sign that the flow is letting up, the UN children’s agency said in a report released late Monday. In the first six months of 2016, UNICEF said almost 26,000 unaccompanied children were apprehended at the U.S. border along with 29,700 people travelling as a family, mostly mothers and young children. Most are from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, three countries with some of the world’s highest murder and poverty rates, UNICEF said. Last year, Mexican authorities apprehended nearly 36,000 children, more than half of whom were unaccompanied. By comparison, Mexico detained just 9,600 children in 2013.

Source: thestar August 23, 2016 01:41 UTC