President Obama is calling on Congress to appropriate $3.7 billion to stem what has been called a humanitarian crisis of families and unaccompanied minors illegally crossing the Southwest border.
Families and children are fleeing escalating violence plaguing Central America's Northern Triangle, and the funds, if netted, will go toward taking an "aggressive approach on both sides of the border," according to a White House official.
That's $3.7 billion the administration hopes will deter families from living in the shadows, speed up the removal process, address the crisis's root causes, increase prosecution of criminal networks smuggling children across the border, and more. It's a multipronged approach that would send funding to the various departments — such as Homeland Security, Justice, Health and Human Services, and State — and other international programs.
Here's a by-the-numbers breakdown of the emergency supplemental request to curb the crisis.
$1.1 BILLION FOR IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT: This would help pay for transportation costs associated with apprehending unaccompanied children, to the tune of $116 million. It would also help detain and and remove undocumented adults with children; expand alternatives to detention programs, such as ankle bracelets; and provide additional immigration and customs-enforcement efforts and expand ICE's investigatory programs.