Immigrant children seeking asylum may have better luck applying in some regions than others

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Podcasts Take Two

Jun 2, 2016

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Immigrant children seeking asylum may have better luck applying in some regions than others

An AP investigation revealed immigrant children's asylum approvals vary by U.S. region. For more we're joined by Amy Taxin, the AP reporter who wrote about it.

In this April 6, 2016, photo, Jhonathan Rivas looks out the window on at the offices of the Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles, where a lawyer helped him prepare his application for asylum. Rivas, who is now 19, came to the United States fleeing gang threats in El Salvador, and won his case at a regional asylum office in Anaheim. Immigrant children arriving on the border unaccompanied in the past two years have been far more likely to win asylum at U.S. asylum offices in California than in other parts of the country, according to data obtained by The Associated Press under a Freedom of Information Act request. (AP Photo/Amy Taxin)

An AP investigation revealed immigrant children's asylum approvals vary by U.S. region. For more we're joined by Amy Taxin, the AP reporter who wrote about it.

Data obtained by the Associated Press shows that more than 10,000 unaccompanied children - mostly from Central America - who arrived in the U.S. since 2014 have applied for asylum.

But a year-long investigation shows that where they apply can make a big difference in whether they get it.

For more, AP reporter Amy Taxin, who wrote about this in the Associated Press, joined the show.

To hear the full interview, click the blue play button above.