Unaccompanied Minor From Honduras Joins Extended Family In Indiana After 8 Weeks in US Govt Custody

JEFFERSONVILLE, INDIANA - APRIL 25: Honduran immigrant Nani, 10, listens to traffic passing over the Ohio River on April 25, 2021 in Jeffersonville, Indiana. She had joined extended family in Indiana two days before, following her release from U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) custody as an unaccompanied minor after spending nearly eight weeks in shelters, the last one in New York City. Originally Nani had traveled with her mother from Honduras and crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico together, but they were immediately deported under Title 42 pandemic rules, according to the non-profit Every. Last. One, which facilitates reunifying children with families in the U.S. On March 1 her mother then sent the girl alone as an unaccompanied minor across the river with a smuggler, as such children are allowed entry into the U.S. under current Biden administration rules. As of April 21, HHS reports holding more than 21,000 children, most from Central America, in their custody pending placement with the their families or sponsors living in the U.S. Many of the minors, like Nani, had previously crossed the border with family members and been deported before being sent back across as unaccompanied minors by desperate parents. According to the girl's aunt Saiyda Gonzalez, Nani's mother remains in Mexico, hoping to again try and cross into the U.S. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)