Most unaccompanied migrant children in Phoenix came from Guatemala

The overwhelming majority of unaccompanied migrant children who came to Phoenix in recent years are from Guatemala.

Why it matters: Unaccompanied migrant children are an especially vulnerable group as federal, state and city leaders spar over sheltering and supporting foreigners and asylum seekers who have crossed the border illegally.

By the numbers: Guatemalans accounted for 1,743, or 72%, of the 2,406 unaccompanied migrant children who arrived in Phoenix from January 2015 to May 2023.

• Of the remainder, the bulk were from Honduras, Mexico, and El Salvador.
• Mesa received 400 unaccompanied minors during that period.
• Those numbers are based on U.S. Department of Human Health and Services data on the children's sponsors' ZIP codes, obtained by the New York Times through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The big picture: Houston (about 32,000 kids), Los Angeles (about 12,700) and Dallas (about 8,500) received the largest shares of the 550,000-plus unaccompanied migrant children who arrived in U.S. cities between 2015 and 2023.

What they're saying: "Migrant children, who have been coming into the United States without their parents in record numbers, are ending up in some of the most punishing jobs in the country," per a recent Times investigation .

• "This shadow workforce extends across industries in every state, flouting child labor laws that have been in place for nearly a century."

What we're watching: Congressional efforts to tighten border security have repeatedly failed as Republicans look to avoid handing Democrats and the Biden camp a political win ahead of November's elections — conditions that stand to hobble any further attempts at border reform between now and Election Day.

• Absent congressional action, the Biden administration is trying other approaches — including a "fast track" asylum process .