The flood of unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S. border from Central America has slowed from a record high earlier this summer.
When members of Congress return from summer recess, though, they'll still have to vote on how much money should be spent to deal with the migrants already here.
The president asked for $3.7 billion to help detain and care for more than 60,000 minors detained since last fall. So far, the House only approved $600 million, and the Senate has yet to vote on the proposal.
Some lawmakers support rolling back a federal law meant to combat child trafficking so the government could deport the Central American children faster.
But Connecticut's U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal opposes that move, saying each case should be looked at carefully before any more of the children are deported. He visited one detention facility this summer. "One of the untold and invisible aspects of this horrendous story of children escaping violent persecution, murder, [and] forced prostitution, are the human traffickers and the exploitation of children," he said.
"Very often, [it involves] taking these children as hostages, kidnapping them, and forcing them into crimes that are horrendous. Fighting human trafficking is an important part of what we need to do at the border, and throughout our country."
On Monday, Blumenthal convened a group of advocates who are working to stop trafficking of children including the international group, Love 146, based in New Haven.
Blumenthal said that if Congress can agree on additional funding, he'd like to see it go towards improving the detention facilities that are holding the minors, as well as improving the adjudication process to make fair determinations on who should get asylum.
