Resources

In the Shadow of Child Protective Services: Noncitizen Parents and the Child-Welfare System

By | Child Maltreatment, Culture: Issues & Competencies, Language Issues, Law & Policy

In the Shadow of Child Protective Services: Noncitizen Parents and the Child-Welfare System

Tal D. Eisenzweig, The Yale Law Journal (November 21, 2018)

This essay reviews the unique position of non-citizen parents involved with the child welfare system and argues that Child Protective Services should take measures to ensure that their immigration status does not negatively impact them in family court.

New Director and Institutional Home

By | Opportunities

New Director and Institutional Home

We are excited to announce the transition of the directorship of the CICW from the School of Social Work at New Mexico State University to the School of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley under the leadership of Dr. Kristina Lovato beginning January 2024. Over the last seven years in New Mexico, the CICW has been dedicated to resource development and dissemination, training and technical assistance, and original research on the various issues impacting child welfare system involved immigrant children and families, while also engaging local and state leaders and policy makers toward improving the well-being of children in immigrant families in New Mexico. We look forward to new opportunities for the Center to build upon its mission of improving programs and policies related to immigrant children and families involved in the public child welfare system at UC Berkeley.

Dr. Kristina Lovato, Assistant Professor of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley, will assume the role of director of the CICW. She has over 12 years of clinical experience serving diverse families as a bilingual child welfare social worker, child therapist, and school-based mental health clinician, and her current work focuses on enhancing Latinx child and family well-being particularly among immigrant families at risk of immigration enforcement and/or public child welfare involvement. She has also been a strong supporter and partner of the CICW’s work, including on several recent studies on how child welfare systems are serving immigrant children and families. With her rich professional experience and dedication to uplifting the voices and experiences of immigrant families in all facets of her work, we can’t think of anyone better to lead the CICW into this new chapter. Please join us in offering a warm welcome to Kristina as she assumes this new role!

Opportunities for Welcome: Lessons Learned for Supporting People Seeking Asylum in Chicago, Denver, New York City, and Portland, Maine

By | Immigrant Families Research, Immigration Enforcement, Research, Research Highlight, Social Work

Opportunities for Welcome: Lessons Learned for Supporting People Seeking Asylum in Chicago, Denver, New York City, and Portland, Maine

Women’s Refugee Commission (November 30, 2023)

Informed by research in NYC; Portland, Maine; Denver; and Chicago, this report provides recommendations on policies and practices to support people seeking asylum and other vulnerable populations.

False Hopes: Over 100,000 Immigrant Youth Trapped in the SIJS Backlog

By | Immigrant Families Research, Immigrant Youth, Immigration Relief, Legal/Law, Research, Research Highlight, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)

False Hopes: Over 100,000 Immigrant Youth Trapped in the SIJS Backlog

Rachel Leya Davidson, Laila L. Hlass, Katia Leiva, and Gabriela Cruz; End SIJS Backlog Coalition (December 2023)

This report, informed by new data from USCIS through FOIA litigation, reviews the growing SIJS backlog and highlights first-hand stories of SIJS youth on its impact.

Decreasing ORR’s Dependence on Congregate Care: Four Recommendations for Progress

By | Federal Policy, Foster Care, Immigrant Youth, Language Issues, Law & Policy, Law/Policy Highlight, Unaccompanied Minors

Decreasing ORR’s Dependence on Congregate Care: Four Recommendations for Progress

Women’s Refugee Commission (August 9, 2023)

This policy brief highlights four key recommendations to improve care for unaccompanied minors in ORR custody and move away from congregate care settings.

 

No Fair Day: The Biden Administration’s Treatment of Children in Immigration Court

By | Federal Policy, Immigrant Youth, Immigration Relief, Law & Policy, Law/Policy Highlight, Legal/Law, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), Unaccompanied Minors

No Fair Day: The Biden Administration’s Treatment of Children in Immigration Court

UCLA School of Law, Center for Immigration Law & Policy (December 2023)

This white paper provides a thorough assessment of the Biden administration’s policies for children facing removal in immigration court.

Explainer: Biden’s Proposed Regulations On The Care Of Unaccompanied Children In Federal Custody

By | Federal Policy, Foster Care, Immigrant Youth, Law & Policy, Law/Policy Highlight, Legal/Law, Unaccompanied Minors

Explainer: Biden’s Proposed Regulations On The Care Of Unaccompanied Children In Federal Custody

The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights (December 5, 2023)

This explainer reviews the recent Biden administration notice for proposed rulemaking related to the care of unaccompanied minors in ORR custody and highlights advocates’ recommendations.

White House open to new border expulsion law, mandatory detention and increased deportations in talks with Congress

By | In the News

White House open to new border expulsion law, mandatory detention and increased deportations in talks with Congress

Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News (December 12, 2023)

Sources say the Biden administration is considering new border policy that includes expelling migrants without asylum screenings and expanding immigration detention and deportations in order to convince Republicans to support aid to Ukraine.

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