Unaccompanied Children
Sealed UNHCR Report Warns of Poor Protections for Unaccompanied Mexican Children
As the Obama administration struggles to fashion a humane yet practical response to the influx of unaccompanied children from Central America, the president’s request for $3.7 billion to deal with the situation is becoming entangled with the fate of the Trafficking Victims Protection and Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) of 2008. Read More
Restrictionists Spread Unfounded Rumors About Migrant Children and Disease
More often than not, anti-immigrant groups use their hateful rhetoric to blame immigrants for all of our nation’s ills. On a regular basis, restrictionist groups release reports that portray immigrants as criminals, terrorists, a threat to American workers, an economic and fiscal burden, or an obstacle to national unity,… Read More
House and Senate Face Stalemate over Proposals to Fund Border Challenges
Members in the House and Senate are offering competing proposals to address humanitarian needs as child migrants cross the U.S.-Mexico border alone, but it could be difficult to reconcile the two plans before the August recess. The Obama administration requested $3.7 billion in additional funding earlier this month. Read More
Refugee Children Don’t Need More Immigration Enforcement
A humanitarian crisis requires a humanitarian response. In the case of the unaccompanied children from Central America who are arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, this would include decent food, shelter, and medical attention while in U.S. custody. Even more crucial, it would include careful screening of each child’s case… Read More
Texas Group Finds Most Unaccompanied Children Could Qualify for Relief
More than half of the unaccompanied Central American children who are in U.S. custody after crossing the U.S. border could be found eligible for relief by a U.S. immigration judge, according to an assessment by Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES). This… Read More
Taking Attendance: New Data Finds Majority of Children Appear in Immigration Court
As the number of unaccompanied children arriving at the United States border has increased, some lawmakers have argued that children frequently disappear into the woodwork, and propose mandatory detention as a solution. Some say as many as 90 percent fail to attend their immigration court hearings. Yet government data recently published by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) may indicate the opposite. Not only do a majority of children attend their immigration proceedings, according to TRAC, but 90 percent or more attend when represented by lawyers. Read More
Anti-Immigrant Groups Exploiting Humanitarian Situation at the Border
The scenes are chilling. In Murrieta, California, protesters scream and wave signs saying “Return to Sender” at busloads of mothers and children from Central America. In Oracle, Arizona, enraged demonstrators, awaiting the arrival of a busload of Central American children that never comes, initially mistake a YMCA bus… Read More
HUMANE Act Fails to Address Humanitarian Challenges
Texans Rep. Henry Cuellar (D) and Sen. John Cornyn (R) will soon introduce a bill that expedites the removal of unaccompanied children from Central America. Their measure, the Helping Unaccompanied Minors and Alleviating National Emergency (HUMANE) Act, is a legislative attempt to change U.S. policies so that… Read More
DOJ Adds Temp Judges and Shifts Priorities in Response to Unaccompanied Minors
Congress has long neglected the immigration court system, like so many other aspects of our immigration infrastructure. For years, while the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has dedicated more and more resources to immigration enforcement efforts, resources for the immigration courts have not commensurately increased. As a result, immigration courts cannot keep up with their current workload. This has become increasingly evident as courts struggle to handle the growing number of deportation cases DHS has brought against unaccompanied children. And while the Obama administration has requested emergency supplemental funding to hire 25 new immigration judges, it is unclear whether this funding will materialize. In an attempt to bring some immediate relief, the Department of Justice announced a new rule that permits the Department to hire temporary judges. Read More
Senate Hearing Debates Enforcement-Focused Solution to Humanitarian Challenge
On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing on the Administration’s emergency request for $3.7 billion to address the humanitarian situation as children and families flee violence in Central America. While the committee nominally addressed only the funding request, the president’s stated intention to ask… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
