LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Some Hispanic and civil rights activists in Nebraska say the thousands of children who have been crossing the U.S.-Mexican border are refugees from violence, not immigrants who should be summarily returned.

The activists criticized Nebraska governmental leaders who on Monday formally asked federal officials for information about the more than 200 children who have been placed in the state.

Shirl A. Mora James is a Lincoln civil rights and immigration attorney, and she said the children are refugees from Central American countries “that have the highest murder rates in the world.”

Lincoln activist Jose Soto says he’s “a little disappointed the plight of these young kids was politicized” and sees no value in “talking about deportation without knowing what their situation or status really is.”