Imagine having to watch from afar as your child travels alone. Then imagine having to hear that they were placed in a children’s detention center and have taken their own life to escape. This imagination was simply a horrifying reality for the parents of Noemi Álvarez Quillay. Noemi was apart of “The United States Resettlement Agency” that is a form of immigration reform that cares for unaccompanied migrant children. (Dwyer) On her way to see her parents in New York with a “coyote” (smuggler), twelve-year old Noemi was picked up by police authorities and taken to a children’s shelter. She was found hanged in a bathroom. Although her death was ruled suicide, it is still under investigation. Before her death, Noemi had been living with her grandparents and they did not agree with the idea of her traveling alone. Noemi’s parents wanted her to be educated in America and Noemi had no choice but to travel here. The man who had smuggled her, Mr. Femas, had lied to authorities about Noemi’s age and he is still being investigated for immigration trafficking. Immigration or human trafficking is a term that describes modern day slavery. According to immigrationjustice.org,” One million individuals are trafficked across international borders annually and that 18,000 to 20,000 are brought into the United States.”(National Immigration Justice Center) Since the Displaced Persons Act of 1948, America has had refugee resettlement agencies that admit immigrants in this country. Immigration reform can be executed in various ways but resettlement programs should be the further put because they have safely welcomed three million refugees to build better lives in America and they put an end to appalling trafficking occurrences like Noemi’s.
Noemi Álva...
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...nd trafficked immigrants would decrease unquestionably decrease.
Works Cited
Dwyer, Jim. "A 12-Year-Old’s Trek of Despair Ends in a Noose at the Border." The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Apr. 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
"Human Trafficking." Human Trafficking. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
National Immigrant Justice Center. WireMedia, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
Nezer, Melanie. "RESETTLEMENT AT RISK: Meeting Emerging Challenges to Refugee Resettlement in Local Communities." N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
"Refugee Council USA - History of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program." Refugee Council USA - History of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
"Refugee Transitions - The Refugee Resettlement Process." Refugee Transitions - The Refugee Resettlement Process. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.