WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), a senior member of the Subcommittee on National Security, is a part of a bipartisan congressional delegation mission this week that includes stops in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. In addition to Congressman Lynch, the delegation is led by Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and includes US Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX), US Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (R-MI), and US Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ).

The purpose of the delegation will be to conduct firsthand oversight of the dramatic increase in the number of unaccompanied children arriving at the United States southern border from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. In recent months, about 80% of the unaccompanied children have been coming from these three Central American countries. The delegation will meet with high-level Government leaders and immigration officials in an attempt to determine the root causes of the surge in illegal immigration and will conduct site visits to several migrant processing centers. The delegation will also conduct coordinated meetings with non-governmental organization representatives in order to assess the current humanitarian and security situation in the region and to curtail the surge in high-risk migration of thousands of unaccompanied children, many as young as thirteen. 

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