Despite the conspiracy theories put forth by many who hate President Obama, the immigrant children that are arriving in record numbers to the United States border are not doing it at the administration’s request. These children and teenagers are fleeing violence fueled by the illegal drugs and gangs that have come about due to the United States’ demand of illegal drugs.

This violence has reached a level where these children lose track of the murders, rapes, assaults, forced enlistment and other horrific crimes perpetrated by the drug cartels. To make matters worse, individuals who work for the cartels are at schools and other areas where children would be, so there’s often no place for them to go to be safe from enlistment. Despite that tragic reality, many Americans and this administration are more than willing to throw these children right back to ?the cartels.

The Customs and Border Patrol had apprehended more than 52,000 children at the border by mid-June of the 2014 fiscal year. Analysis of the numbers of border patrol agents, which are at a record high, shows they’re entering the border because of lax security. These children are undertaking treks they know to be dangerous so they have a chance at ?escaping the violence.

Instead of throwing these children back into the dangers brought by the drug cartels, the United States should take responsibility for the dangers that we have caused. These children are being forced to our border due to the violence that our drug war and drug demand caused. It is imperative that we take responsibility by giving them due process to see whether they are eligible for asylum. The United States should also find ways to deprive the drug cartels of power, which might include completely changing the ?drug war.

The president and many in Congress are ready to throw the children showing up on our borders by the thousands right back into the hands of the drug cartels. Despite what many of them are saying, this is not an immigration crisis. This is a humanitarian crisis and should be treated as such. Many of these children deserve the right to be granted asylum, and the United States needs to rethink its strategies regarding the drug cartels. To do nothing less than that is to continue to ignore the problems we create through our drug war and demand for ?illegal drugs.

Matthew Bailey is a second-year law student. His column runs biweekly.