Children
New Report Evaluates Scale of the Central American Refugee Influx
The Central American refugee influx along the U.S.-Mexico border, which generated so much press attention in 2014, is not going away anytime soon. The conditions which spur Salvadorans, Guatemalans, and Hondurans to flee their countries in large numbers—namely, widespread violence and grinding poverty—have not changed. Nor has the fact that… Read More
Is In-Country Processing a Genuine Humanitarian Solution for Central American Refugee Children?
Amidst last year’s uptick in arrivals of mothers and children fleeing violence and persecution in Central America, the Administration responded, in part, by ramping up family detention, increasing incentives to the Mexican government to interdict and deport Central Americans before they arrive at the U.S. border and upping… Read More
Immigrant Children Without Attorneys are Still Being Ordered Deported
It would seem to be a simple matter of conscience that no child should ever stand before a judge without having an attorney as an advocate. Younger children in particular may not even understand the significance of their day in court or how a judge’s ruling can profoundly impact the… Read More
Six Takeaways from the First Presidential Debate on Immigration Issues
In Cleveland, Ohio, home to nearly half a million immigrants, 10 Republican presidential candidates took to the stage in the first primary debate of the season. Given the pressing need to reform our outdated immigration system, it was no surprise that one of the early questions posed… Read More
Story of Unaccompanied Child Underscores Importance of Legal Representation Needed for All Refugee Children
Elvis Garcia is a migration counselor at the Catholic Charities Community Services of New York. He is also a former unaccompanied child who fled from his native Honduras in 2005 when he was 15 years old. Last week, Garcia and several others participated in a roundtable discussion sponsored by Lutheran Immigrant and Refugee Services to evaluate the response to the humanitarian situation at the southern U.S. border and highlight the recommendations regarding the treatment of children in their new report. During the roundtable, Garcia pointed to the lack of lawyers for kids as one of the biggest challenges confronting unaccompanied children. He said many children are eligible for asylum, yet lack the access to attorneys to navigate the system. Read More
Judge’s Order in Flores Should Signal the End of Family Detention
A federal judge issued an order in the Flores case that should go a long way to ending the government’s practice of detaining children and their mothers in unlicensed, secure facilities in Dilley and Karnes, Texas. Since the summer of 2014, the government has detained thousands of women and children fleeing violence in Central America. The longstanding Flores settlement guarantees minimum standards for the detention, release, and treatment of children in immigration detention. These standards, the court concluded, are not being met. Read More
Report Finds Border Patrol Deporting Children Without Proper Screening
A recent U.S. government report found that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deported thousands of Mexican unaccompanied alien children (UACs) under age 14 in violation of its own policies, without adequately screening them for independent decision-making or their fear of returning to Mexico. Read More
Some 3-Year Work Permits Being Recalled by USCIS
This week, the federal government announced that it would take more aggressive steps to retrieve 2,600 3-year DACA grants, including launching home visits for a small number of people. This move stems from developments in Texas v. United States, the legal challenge to expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA). Read More
Appellate Court Hears Oral Argument in Texas v. United States
Last week, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans heard oral argument in the most closely watched immigration case in years, Texas v. United States. This is a case brought by Texas and a number of other states challenging the legality of two key components of President… Read More
One Year Later: Government Officials Request Lawyers for Immigrant Children and More Judges
On Tuesday, the Senate Homeland Security committee held a hearing examining the U.S. government’s response to last year’s arrivals of unaccompanied children fleeing Central American violence. Despite continuing disagreements between Senators as to the cause of the increased numbers of children fleeing their homes, two solutions received uniform… Read More
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No one should face the immigration system alone
