Border children: Immigrant families in crisis
One year after President Trump signed an executive order to end family separations under his administration's "zero tolerance" immigration policy, the U.S.-Mexico border continues to be a crisis point, particularly for children. In a June 23, 2019, appearance on Face the Nation, Vice President Mike Pence called poor conditions at U.S. detention facilities for migrant children "heartbreaking" and "unacceptable."
See how life is being lived by immigrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border and regional hot spots.
Here, an asylum-seeking girl from Cuba clutches a doll as she and her mother await an appointment with U.S. officials in the northern Mexican border state of Chihuahua.
Tears
About 23 miles north of Ciudad Hidalgo, in the Chiapas city of Tapachula, a young migrant from Haiti is seen outside Mexico's National Institute of Migration on June 20, 2019. Thousands of Haitians turned away at the U.S. border in recent years have remained in Mexico.
Lonely wait
In the south Texas city of McAllen, a young asylum seeker from Central America waits at a bus station as her father buys a ticket. McAllen is home to the largest immigrant detention center in the United States. When this photo was snapped on June 11, 2019, the girl's father had recently been released from detention.
Up close
A boy is seen on June 6, 2019, at the immigration office on the international bridge in Ciudad Hidalgo in the southern, Guatemala-bordering Mexican state of Chiapas. Many asylum seekers here look to find their way north to the United States.
Waiting in limbo
Under pressure from the Trump administration, Mexico has been cracking down on migration from Central America. Here, on June 20, 2019, a young migrant is seen outside a what appears to be a near-empty National Institute of Migration.
Sanctuary
A child from Honduras is seen on June 3, 2019, at El Calvario Methodist Church in the border town of Las Cruces, New Mexico. The church is among those in the region that have served as temporary shelters for migrants, many from Central America.
Moment of play
A young migrant plays at the El Calvario Methodist Church on June 3, 2019. Democratic Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico toured the church in May, and said he was proud of the volunteers who were making the shelters happen.
Crossing over
This young migrant used an improvised raft to reach Mexico's Ciudad Hidalgo on June 8, 2019, from Guatemala by way of the Suchiate River, which separates the two countries on Mexico's southwestern border. Migrants say they'll take this risky trip because conditions in their home countries are so poor, if not dangerous.
Taking a risk
After this photo was taken on June 12, 2019, along the Mexican side of the Rio Grande River, the Central American woman and girl turned themselves into U.S. Border Patrol agents and sought asylum.
Checkpoint
This boy was photographed on June 7, 2019, when the van he was traveling in with his mother was stopped at a checkpoint at Mexico's National Institute of Migration in Tapachula.
Border Patrol agents detain migrants near U.S.-Mexico border
In this photo, a 2-year-old from Honduras cries as her mother is searched and detained near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Zero tolerance policy
U.S. border authorities are executing the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy toward undocumented immigrants.
Mother and son
A U.S. Border Patrol spotlight shines on a terrified mother and son from Honduras as they are found in the dark near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
The group of women and children had rafted across the Rio Grande from Mexico and had become lost in the woods. They were then detained by Border Patrol agents and then sent to a processing center for possible separation.
Waiting
Central American asylum seekers wait for transport while being detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Central Processing Center
In this handout photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol agents conduct intake of illegal border crossers at the Central Processing Center on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Custody
A young child and other Central American asylum seekers wait as U.S. Border Patrol agents take them into custody on June 12, 2018 near McAllen, Texas.
The families were then sent to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing center for possible separation.
Father and son
Border Patrol agents take a father and son from Honduras into custody near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12, 2018 near Mission, Texas.
ICE custody
Central American immigrant families depart ICE custody, pending future immigration court hearings on June 11, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Released
A woman carries a baby as immigrants are dropped off at a bus station shortly after being released from detention on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Border patrol
Border Patrol agents take Central American asylum seekers into custody on June 12, 2018 near McAllen, Texas.
Central Processing Center
In this handout photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, border crossers rest on mats on the floor at the Central Processing Center on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Taken into custody
Border Patrol agents take a group of Central American asylum seekers into custody on June 12, 2018 near McAllen, Texas.
Pending hearings
Central American immigrant families depart ICE custody on June 11, 2018 in McAllen, Texas, pending future immigration court hearings.
In a process known as "catch and release," people detained by U.S. authorities as unlawful immigrants can be released from detention while they wait for a hearing.
Instructions
A migrant holds an envelope containing his court documents, registration papers, addresses, phone numbers, and instructions of how to get to his destination at a humanitarian center in McAllen, Texas on June 14, 2018.
Possible separation
Central American asylum seekers are taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol agents on June 12, 2018 near McAllen, Texas.
Families
Central American asylum seekers wait as U.S. Border Patrol agents take groups of them into custody on June 12, 2018 near McAllen, Texas.
No shoelaces allowed
A Honduran mother removes her 2-year-old daughter's shoelaces, as required by U.S. Border Patrol agents, after being detained near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Rafting across the Rio Grande
Under a moonless sky, a group of Central American asylum seekers rafts across the Rio Grande from Mexico into Texas on June 12, 2018. They were later detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents and then sent to a processing center for possible separation.
Catholic Charities relief center
Immigrants wait to head to a nearby Catholic Charities relief center after being dropped off at a bus station shortly after release from detention on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Respite center
Central American immigrant families at a Catholic Charities respite center after being released from ICE custody on June 11, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
McAllen Border Patrol facility
In this handout photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol agents conduct intake of illegal border crossers at the Central Processing Center on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Waiting for help
Migrants wait to be assisted by volunteers in a humanitarian respite center in the border town of McAllen, Texas on June 14, 2018.
Mother and daughter
A 16-year-old girl and her mother, immigrants from El Salvador, pass time at a Catholic Charities relief center on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas, after being released from detention.
They said they were separated for approximately six days while in detention.
Waiting for assistance
Migrants wait to be assisted by volunteers in a humanitarian respite center in the border town of McAllen, Texas on June 14, 2018.
Detention
U.S. Border Patrol agents arrive to detain a group of Central American asylum seekers near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Central Processing at McAllen Border Patrol facility
In this handout photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol agents conduct intake of illegal border crossers at the Central Processing Center on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Police
A Mission Police Dept. officer and a U.S. Border Patrol agent watch over a group of Central American asylum seekers, including children, before taking them into custody on June 12, 2018 near McAllen, Texas.
Local police officers often coordinate with Border Patrol agents in the apprehension of undocumented immigrants near the border.
U.S. Border Patrol
U.S. Border Patrol agents detain a group of Central American asylum seekers near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Catch and release
An immigrant mother recently released from detention carries a baby bottle inside a possessions bag on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
In a process known as "catch and release," people detained by U.S. authorities as unlawful immigrants can be released from detention while they wait for a hearing.
A mother and her baby
A Guatemalan immigrant woman and her infant daughter, released from detention, depart a Catholic Charities relief center for a nearby bus station on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Processing at McAllen Border Patrol facility
In this handout photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol agents conduct intake of illegal border crossers at the Central Processing Center on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Searching
A U.S. Border Patrol agent looks for groups of asylum seekers crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico on June 12, 2018 near McAllen, Texas.
Father and son
An immigrant from El Salvador and his 10-year-old son pass the time at a Catholic Charities relief center after being released from detention on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Humanitarian center
Edilberto Garcia (2nd from the left), who was separated from his 17-year-old son after traveling from Honduras, sits among other migrants soon after arriving at a humanitarian center in the border town of McAllen, Texas on June 14, 2018.
Waiting to get in
Central American immigrant families wait outside a Catholic Charities respite center after being released from ICE custody on June 11, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Sitting in the dirt
An undocumented immigrant sits in the dirt after U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended her in a sugarcane field near the U.S.-Mexico Border on June 12, 2018 near Mission, Texas.
Walking to the relief center
Immigrants walk to a nearby Catholic Charities relief center after being dropped off at a bus station shortly after release from detention on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Border Patrol agent
A U.S. Border Patrol agent rehydrates after chasing and apprehending undocumented immigrants in a cane field near the U.S.-Mexico Border on June 12, 2018 near Mission, Texas.
In the headlights
A U.S. Border Patrol vehicle illuminates a group of Central American asylum seekers before taking them into custody near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Mother and daughter
Central American asylum seekers, including a Honduran girl, 2, and her mother, are taken into custody near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Leaving ICE custody
Central American immigrant families depart ICE custody, pending future immigration court hearings on June 11, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Pursuit
U.S. Border Patrol agents watch over a group of undocumented immigrants after chasing them through a cane field near the U.S.-Mexico Border on June 12, 2018 near Mission, Texas.
A helicopter from U.S. Air and Marine Operations assisted the ground agents in the pursuit.
Border fence
A Central American immigrant stands at the U.S.-Mexico border fence after crossing into Texas on June 12, 2018 near Mission, Texas.
Mother and baby
A Guatemalan woman and her infant daughter seeking asylum pass the time at a Catholic Charities relief center on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Catholic Charities
Central American immigrant families prepare to visit a Catholic Charities respite center after being released from ICE custody on June 11, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
McAllen Border Patrol facility
In this handout photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol agents conduct intake of illegal border crossers at the Central Processing Center on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Relief center
A pregnant woman from El Salvador seeking asylum waits at a Catholic Charities relief center on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Families
Central American immigrant families depart ICE custody, pending future immigration court hearings on June 11, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Bus station
Immigrants wait to head to a nearby Catholic Charities relief center after being dropped off at a bus station shortly after release from detention on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Border patrol agents
Central American asylum seekers wait as U.S. Border Patrol agents take them into custody on June 12, 2018 near McAllen, Texas.
More waiting
Immigrants wait to head to a nearby Catholic Charities relief center on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
World Cup watching
A father and son seeking asylum watch a World Cup match at a Catholic Charities relief center on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
A girl and her doll
A 4-year-old Honduran girl carries a doll while walking with her mother, both released from detention through the "catch and release" policy, on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Families
Central American immigrant families depart ICE custody, pending future immigration court hearings on June 11, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Dropped off
A woman carries a baby as immigrants are dropped off at a bus station shortly after being released from detention on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
Electronic tracker
A tracker is seen on the ankle of Edilberto Garcia in a humanitarian center in the border town of McAllen, Texas on June 14, 2018. Officials use electronic ankle bracelets to monitor immigrants released from detention while they await hearings.
Into custody
U.S. Border Patrol agents take Central American asylum seekers into custody on June 12, 2018 near McAllen, Texas.
Mothers
Immigrants wait to head to a nearby Catholic Charities relief center after being dropped off at a bus station shortly after release from detention on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
To the respite center
Central American immigrant families walk to a Catholic Charities respite center after being released from ICE custody on June 11, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
With their children
Immigrants walk to a nearby Catholic Charities relief center after being dropped off at a bus station shortly after release from detention on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.