Dan Coats: “as have many Americans, I have watched with increasing concern and increasing frustration the rapidly growing…”

“as have many Americans, I have watched with increasing concern and increasing frustration the rapidly growing humanitarian crisis on our southern border. More than 60,000 unaccompanied alien children--mostly minors from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador--have been apprehended at the border in this fiscal year, and we have 2\1/2\ months remaining. The numbers are staggering. Another 40,000 family members--one or both parents traveling with their children--have also been apprehended just in this fiscal year. To put these numbers in perspective, in 2008, the number of unaccompanied alien children apprehended at the border was 8,000. Three years later, in 2011, the number had doubled. It had doubled to 16,000. This is a situation we perhaps didn't see coming, but should have. Today, of course, the numbers are staggering, as I mentioned. The number has skyrocketed. In fact, in April and May of this year, 10,000 have arrived. We simply cannot sit back and let this situation grow worse as it does day by day. We must now find a way to solve this crisis and stem the flow of unaccompanied minors entering our country. It is imperative that this Congress and this administration work together to do this and do this immediately.…”