As recently as this month, it was discovered that more than 52,000 children made their way from Central America to Mexico and then illegally entered the United States of America.
This has sparked off a lot of discussion and debate on the alarming growth of numbers pertaining to unaccompanied children who are illegally making their way to the country of plenty, with lawmakers and enforcers from both parties blaming each other for the burgeoning crisis, a crisis which shows no signs of abating.
Not only are there major flaws in the immigration system but the rise in illegal entry into the country is raising a lot of questions - people are unlawfully making their way into the country, and they are not going in for mandatory checks like the Green Card Immigration Medical Exam or other compulsory requirements.
A leading Democratic advocate says that the reform laws could not get passed in the House of Representatives.
There are some representatives who have been trying for months to get the House of Republicans to sit down with the Democrats and come to an understanding on the reform legislation.
Many say that ample time has been given for the legislators to make important legislation and that now failure has set in.
WILL REFORM BE MADE THIS YEAR? MOST UNLIKELY It is felt by many that there is very little chance of immigration-based reform getting legislated this year.
An analyst said that with the midterm elections coming up soon the chances for taking action are getting dimmer.
A lot of outrage has been expressed over the illegal entry of children from Central America, who have come via Mexico to make their arrival into the country.
Children are pouring in from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and other violence-driven, strife-marked countries - most of these children are being held in centers along the Mexican border.
Many senators have blamed the lenient and 'soft' immigration policies for this situation.
They are demanding that the President make an appearance and talk specifically on the US immigration and border security policy; he will have to tell the world that the US borders will continue to stay protected.
Moreover, they want him to tell families of these countries that they should not be risking lives of their children by illegally sending them - the whole exercise is unnecessary, they say.
The President of the United States, in an interview, expressed his concern - he reiterated that families should stop sending their children to the borders - instead, they should be a part of the legal process of immigration and taken the mandatory medical immigration exam and fulfill other compulsory requirements, he said.
SMUGGLERS AND VIOLATORS OF THE LAW It is alarming to see panic-stricken parents of Central American countries paying huge amounts of money to underworld elements and thus find a way out for their children.
Atop buses or trains, these children are then sent out of the violence-ridden cities and smugglers and nefarious elements make a fast buck by falsely spreading the word, it is safe for children to be smuggled into the US borders.
In fact, the plight of children walking in after days struggle, tired and hungry, is a very saddening sight at the borders.
Soon this will boomerang into a humanitarian crisis, if not checked.
Party leaders say that the immigration authorities will need more money to take in these children into shelters, take care of them and put them through legal processes, one of them being the Immigration Medical exam.
A legal part of the immigration process is appearing for the Immigration Medical examination, and with most children and adults entering into the country illegally, this important process is overlooked.
This can place the health of the populace in serious jeopardy.