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Since October 2013, more than 132,000 Central American children and teens without legal status have been caught near the United States border with Mexico, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It isn't yet clear whether that trend will continue this year, or if federal deportation efforts have caused it to slow.
A child who goes before an immigration judge without an attorney has a 1 in 10 chance of being allowed to stay, while about half of children with an attorney get U.S. protection, according to a study by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. About half of unaccompanied children get an attorney, the analysis shows.
Although being in the country illegally is a civil offense, being caught crossing the border can lead to federal criminal charges.
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