Washington, July 8 (RHC)-- In the United States, immigrant advocates gathered at the White House to criticize the Barack Obama administration’s treatment of immigrant children fleeing violence and poverty in Central America.

More than 52,000 unaccompanied children from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras have been seized at the U.S. border since October, nearly double the number over the same period last year. Protesters say many of the children are trying to rejoin their families.

The Obama administration is poised to ask Congress for $2 billion to pay for more detention centers and immigration judges to handle the influx. The White House said Monday most of the children are unlikely to qualify for humanitarian relief and would be deported.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 58 percent of unaccompanied children detained by the United States could be entitled to refugee protections under international law.