Mexico: military force against migrant children is unacceptable

(Vatican Radio) Mexican Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Meade is warning that military force directed against unaccompanied undocumented children, migrating from Central America towards the United States is totally unacceptable.

Meade is stressing that when it comes to children, the use of the military is never acceptable, apart from a medical or transportation role. Texas Governor Rick Perry is deploying 1,000 National Guard to its borders, granting them powers to arrest and to hand over detained would-be undocumented migrants, including children, to the border patrol.

California Governor Jerry Brown, who's on a three-day trip to Mexico, is supporting Meade's stance, insisting the emphasis must be on humanitarian treatment of unaccompanied children and the prime focus must be on their best interests.

In the last year, more than 50,000 youngsters, desperate to escape intimidation, violence and murder in their homelands, have embarked on this perilous journey northwards.

Listen to the report by James Blears: