Texas overwhelmed by unaccompanied minor migrants

DALLAS (AP)

Charitable organisations, social services and local lawyers in North Texas are feeling the effects of the onslaught of Central American children arriving at the Mexico border hundreds of miles away.

In Fort Worth, 200 unaccompanied minors have already received aid and the local Catholic Charities plans to double its shelter capacity for children ages 13 or younger, while helping other agencies establish future shelters.

Meanwhile, Dallas charities are scrambling to recruit and train volunteer lawyers willing to help children navigate the immigration court system.

Thousands of youngsters fleeing violence and abuse in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala have arrived in Texas and elsewhere in the United States, overwhelming federal immigration agencies. More than 174,000 people, mostly from Central America, have been arrested in Texas' Rio Grande Valley this year.