WeвЂ™re also seeing a rise - generally mothers, who are traveling with their children from Central - Mexico to the United States. In eight months since that time, the number has jumped to 47,000 additional unaccompanied minors. In that one year, they apprehended 24,000 unaccompanied minors at our border. Department of Homeland Security apprehended 24,000 unaccompanied minors in the year from October of 2012 to the year - to October, 2013. And the numbers are growing at an alarming - the U.S. These smugglers - and everyone should know it, and not turn a blind eye to it - these smugglers routinely engage in physical and sexual abuse, and extortion of these innocent, young women and men by and large.ДЄnd they profit from the misery of these children and teenagers these desperate, desperate young people. And the majority of these individuals rely - we estimate between 75 and 80 percent - rely on very dangerous, not-nice, human-smuggling networks that transport them through Central America and Mexico to the United States. These are some of the most vulnerable migrants that ever attempt - and many from around the world attempt - to come to the United States.

The United States, to state the obvious, is greatly concerned by the startling number of unaccompanied minors that - children and teenagers who are making a very perilous journey through Central America to reach the United States. I also wanted to thank the chargГ© for accommodating us and accommodating the civil society groups - and the First Lady of Guatemala as well. And I wanted to speak about one issue in particular that brought me here. IвЂ™ve just finished, as most of you know, a day of meetings, and I would say very constructive meetings here in Guatemala. Residence of the United States Ambassador

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