FOIA stands for the Freedom of Information Act (1967), and this act gives the public the right to disclose public information controlled by the U.S. government. FOIA helps the public such as journalists to request public information from the government that could support their stories and inform the reader.
Looking through different public stories that are FOIA powered stories, and these public stories were disclosed by the U.S. government. The story I chose to discuss is titled As Central American Gangs Increasingly Target Children More Minors are Fleeing the U.S.
This story is talking about student gang members in central El Salvador. A gang has sexually assaulted a 12 year old girl and killed her cousin. The article goes on to talk about how the girl’s parents had to migrate to the U.S. and wanted to have their kids join them mainly for safety reasons. However, the family didn’t end up having the kids come to the U.S. because at the time the U.S. government paid $130 million to increase security on the U.S. Mexican borders.
As an American, I want to have protected borders; however, reading migrants’ stories and knowing the reasons behind their immigration make me have mixed feelings especially if that could help a child’s life.
Online Reporting, Research & Writing 