I agree basically with your approach but apply it to all, not just illegal kids. The
real problem we have is that the US/TX southern border is basically the middle of
the Rio Grande river. Once they cross that line they are in the US, state of Texas.
The approach now is to apparently take them in, register them, give them papers to report
at a later date and then turn them loose within the USA. The approach needs to be
changed to where they aren’t turned loose but deported back to the orginal place of
origin. Give them immigration papers with instructions to fill them out, submit
and await their turn.
If we had a border barrier, coast to coast then the process of entering wouldn’t be
that easy for them. Build that barrier and if they can’t get across it then they
can’t easily walk up to someone and turn themselves in. There are a limited number
of legal border crossing locations. Force them to those locations and without
papers turn them around.
There are basically 4 types,of illegals caught at the border.
The first is group is Mexicans without a modern track record of illegal crossings. Those people have their prints and data put into an electronic system that has been around for quite a while. They are usually offered "voluntary return" within a few hours of getting caught.
The second is criminal aliens regardless of nationality. They are taken to a detention facility and held until a decision is made on prosecution.
Other than Mexicans is where the problems begin. We aren't allowed to push them back across the bridge into Mexico and currently that means they get a notice to appear, which they won't ever show up for.
The last group is unaccompanied minors. Many of these kids are coming to join their parents who are here illegally. It is not the responsibility of the US to worry about what crimes have been committed against these kids during their journey. It is our responsibility to look after their basic needs until they can be sent back to their country. The faster we do this, the quicker the word get around.
Now the administration is trying to confuse the matter talking about "due process." If due process means an immigration hearing, then instead of spending money on HHS, housing, and flying people all over the country, we should spend money on immigration judges. When you have a process and there is a choke point slowing things down, apply resources to remove the constraint.