Tens of thousands of unaccompanied children have crossed the border this year. Many of them have been released to sponsors while they await immigration case hearings.
Over the last nine months, 63,000 children have been detained after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, largely from Central American countries.
After being detained, many of the children are waiting for asylum hearings based on a 2008 law that grants immigration status hearings to unaccompanied children who enter the U.S. from countries outside of Mexico and Canada.
While the minors wait for their hearings, the government released and placed more than 30,000 to "sponsors," who are mostly relatives, between January and July 7, 2014.
Justine Zwiebel / BuzzFeed
LINK: Everything You Need To Know About The Surge Of Unaccompanied Minors At The Border
