Likewise, Honduran mothers believed the U.S. would allow pregnant women and children into the nation.
The Government Accountability Office stated Wednesday that confusing policy statements from the Obama administration were largely responsible for the surge of illegal immigrant minors last summer.
Seventy thousand unaccompanied children poured through the southern border in 2014. On top of those numbers, 60,000 additional children came into the country accompanied by their parents, according to the GAO.
The Obama administration previously claimed dangerous economies ravaged by drug cartels were responsible for the surge.
“Agency officials noted that a variety of factors likely caused the recent rapid increase in [unaccompanied minor children] migration, including the increased presence of coyotes, perceptions concerning U.S. immigration law, and recent improvements in the U.S. economy,” according to the report. “In addition, agency officials noted that some pervasive problems have recently intensified in some places, including rising levels of violence and insecurity and worsening economic and social conditions.”
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