Well, when my grandparents fled the dangers of their homeland as children and entered illegally across a border t a different country for asylum and refuge with nothing - no papers, no money, dirty and with clothes and shoes completely worn through - they were still less in danger of trafficking and pedophiles than had they stayed where they were. And that was in the Middle East, not North America. Had they stayed, they would have become slaves and rape victimsand who knows what else.
That's how I see it for these children fleeing Central America. People who say it's bad for them to flee with no parents because they will become victims of sexual abuse and trafficking are ignoring a couple of things:
- Those are exactly the things they are fleeing - so if you think that that is what they'll experience in the US you're basically saying that the US has as bad a problem with those things than the countries they're fleeing
- Even IF that were the case, they have a better chance somewhere new that is less chaotic and has less crime and lawlessness.
The only reason I can think of for someone trotting out the old "Well aren't they more prone to being abused and trafficked?" line is because it's a desperate attempt to justify literally throwing poor, defenseless children back into a terrible situation.
Had they done that to my grandparents (all 4 of them) for that reason i most certainly would not be alive today.