One of the many things that bothers me is since these kids risked their life getting here it’s foolish to think they will voluntarily attend immigration hearings knowing it’s possible they will be deported — and have to make the horrible trek again.
They may be poor, illiterate, and diseased. But they aren’t stupid, or they would never have made it across the Rio Grande in the first place.
The reality is these are not kids. Real minor children would be placed with responsible adult sponsors, fosters, or such who would ensure they attended the hearings and were cared for in the interim. Anyone not attending the hearing could be found immediately and the reason they did not show up answered. Because these children are not actually minors, they are being released on their own and knowing they could be deported they are no-shows.