In the event of a natural disaster the role of the federal government is to provide assistance to the state and local governments. During Katrina the two main idiots in charge of foundering areas were the Governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans. Neither of those two demonstrated any capability to handle the problem. It was not in the President's normal powers to take over those functions without the request of the state and local officials. That handover takes time.
The problem in the RGV is completely the federal government's responsibility. The fact that Texas DPS is running heavily armed riverine craft and helicopters on the border demonstrates that the federal government is failing to do its duty. Having worked for a small organization within DHS, I can say that the leadership in the RGV is failing. The administration is failing. It is failing on purpose. You can't tell me that it isn't cheaper to move a couple hundred BP agents to McAllen on a temporary basis than it is to fly thousands of illegals out. If the problem is immigration judges, then swear in some more and send them down there. One stop shopping. Illegal kid gets caught. Put him in the system, get him checked over for medical problems, take him to the judge, take him to the airport for a chartered airplane ride home.
I agree basically with your approach but apply it to all, not just illegal kids. The
real problem we have is that the US/TX southern border is basically the middle of
the Rio Grande river. Once they cross that line they are in the US, state of Texas.
The approach now is to apparently take them in, register them, give them papers to report
at a later date and then turn them loose within the USA. The approach needs to be
changed to where they aren’t turned loose but deported back to the orginal place of
origin. Give them immigration papers with instructions to fill them out, submit
and await their turn.
If we had a border barrier, coast to coast then the process of entering wouldn’t be
that easy for them. Build that barrier and if they can’t get across it then they
can’t easily walk up to someone and turn themselves in. There are a limited number
of legal border crossing locations. Force them to those locations and without
papers turn them around.