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Mar 30
0

Biden administration will let migrant families separated under Trump reunite inside U.S.

By | In the News

Biden administration will let migrant families separated under Trump reunite inside U.S. 

Jacob Soboroff, Julia Ainsley and Geoff Bennett, NBC News (March 1, 2021) 

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has announced that families separated at the border will be allowed to decide whether to reunite in their home countries or the U.S. Should they decide to reunify in the U.S., legal pathways to remain here and providing resources for transportation, healthcare, and mental health services will be explored.

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Mar 30
0

As more migrant children arrive, Biden faces political hurdles

By | In the News

As more migrant children arrive, Biden faces political hurdles 

Suzanne Monyak, Roll Call (March 1, 2021) 

The number of migrant children in custody in the United States has more than doubled since this time last year, testing the Biden administration’s promise for a more humane immigration policy approach. Despite these challenges, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has said that the administration plans to “re-engineer” the process for handling unaccompanied children to make it more efficient.

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Mar 30
0

Fighting to reunite refugee children, 7-year-old Grapevine girl makes room in her own home

By | In the News

Fighting to reunite refugee children, 7-year-old Grapevine girl makes room in her own home 

Sean Giggy, WFAA Dallas (March 3, 2021) 

7-year-old Paisley has become an unlikely activist for refugees after reading a story about them from the Bible. At just 6-years-old she collected almost 300 stuffed animals, delivered toiletries and supplies, and raised $50,000 to open a school for refugee children – and she is still on a mission to help. She has pledged to sleep outside of her house every night until all children separated from their parents at the border are reunited. “I’m never gonna stop changing the world…I’m gonna do it forever,” Paisley says.

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Mar 30
0

Biden’s task force explores legal status for separated migrant families. It could get complicated.

By | In the News

Biden’s task force explores legal status for separated migrant families. It could get complicated. 

Kristina Davis, The San Diego Union-Tribune (March 7, 2021) 

A new task force initiated by the Biden administration focusing upon reunifying over 1,000 families separated at the border will begin examining which pathways will allow the United States to begin to unravel the chaos created through the previous administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy. While presidential powers are being explored as temporary solutions, it appears that the solution offering the most permanent results will be through legislation.

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Mar 30
0

Some Central American Children Will Soon Be Able To Apply To Get Into The US From Their Home Countries

By | In the News

Some Central American Children Will Soon Be Able To Apply To Get Into The US From Their Home Countries 

Hamed Aleaziz, Buzzfeed News (March 10, 2021) 

The Biden administration is restarting the Central American Migrants program allowing for parents from this region with legal status in the United States to request a two-year renewable approval for their children to enter the country. The restart will occur through a two-phase process beginning with processing applications denied after the Trump administration halted the program in 2017. The program will begin accepting new applications in the coming weeks.

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Mar 30
0

House Passes 2 Bills Aimed At Overhauling The Immigration System

By | In the News

House Passes 2 Bills Aimed At Overhauling The Immigration System 

Barbara Sprunt & Claudia Grisales, NPR (March 18, 2021)

The approval of two immigration bills in the House, the American Dream and Promise Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, address status issues for agricultural workers and undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children. Both are promising adjustments to the U.S. immigration system, signaling the beginning of renewed immigration proposals introduced by President Biden. However, with GOP pushback on such legislation, each bill’s future in the Senate is uncertain.

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Mar 30
0

More Than 100,000 Kids Could Show Up Alone at Our Border This Year. What’s Going On?

By | In the News

More Than 100,000 Kids Could Show Up Alone at Our Border This Year. What’s Going On? 

Isabela Dias, Mother Jones (March 19, 2021)

To bring context to the influx of children and teens arriving at our border, which increased by over 60% in February and where, on average, 500 children are arriving every day, a human rights lawyer and vice president for policy and advocacy at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), Jennifer Podkul, discusses what we know about the arriving unaccompanied minors, why they are being held longer in detention, and what the Biden administration is doing to assist in placing children in the care of their sponsors.

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Mar 30
0

How Foster Families Are Stepping Up to House Unaccompanied Children Arriving at the U.S.-Mexico Border

By | In the News

How Foster Families Are Stepping Up to House Unaccompanied Children Arriving at the U.S.-Mexico Border 

Jasmine Aguilera, TIME Magazine (March 19, 2021)

Focusing on the story of one foster family who has taken in immigrant children who arrived unaccompanied at the U.S.-Mexico border, this article uses their experiences to address the broader issues that organizations are facing in rapidly trying to find temporary homes for children in the aftermath of policies like Title 42 which rapidly expelled children rather than reuniting them with sponsors in the United States.

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Mar 30
0

U.S. races to find bed space for migrant children as number of unaccompanied minors in government custody hits 15,500

By | In the News

U.S. races to find bed space for migrant children as number of unaccompanied minors in government custody hits 15,500 

Camilo Montoya-Galves, NBC News (March 21, 2021)

By the end of March, the United States will be currently housing 15,500 children. 5,000 of these children are being kept in a Border Patrol tent facility well past the 72-hour limit prescribed by U.S. law. Due to limited bed space and the increasing number of unaccompanied minors, the sole refugee agency with HSS has had to open makeshift facilities to get children away from Border Patrol facilities. Thus far, the Biden administration has refused to expel these children back to their home countries, calling the previous administration’s practice of doing so inhumane.

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Mar 30
0

Expelled from U.S. at night, migrant families weigh next steps

By | In the News

Expelled from U.S. at night, migrant families weigh next steps

Associated Press (March 28, 2021)

Due to pandemic constraints, immigrants are being expelled from the United States into the city of Reynosa, Mexico, in the middle of the night, leaving many families left to wonder what to do. Further pandemic restrictions mean that parents often make the painful decision to send their children across the border alone as children under 7 are currently allowed to pursue asylum. One mother from Guatemala discussed sending her son across the border alone, stating simply, “We’re in God’s hands.”

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Mar 30
0

Working with Immigrant Children and Families Involved in the State Child Welfare System: The Child Welfare Agency’s Role

By | Opportunities

Working with Immigrant Children and Families Involved in the State Child Welfare System: The Child Welfare Agency’s Role 

ABA – Children’s Immigration Law Academy (April 1, 2021) 

Designed for attorneys who represent child welfare agencies or the state, this webinar will communicate how to work with immigrant families and children currently involved in foster care. A panel of attorneys working with child welfare agencies will address specific issues relevant to this topic area, including the issues of permanency planning for this group.  

Go to Webinar
Mar 30
0

From Local to Federal – Moving Immigration Policy in Our Communities

By | Opportunities

From Local to Federal – Moving Immigration Policy in Our Communities 

NIJC (April 6, 2021) 

In their monthly series focusing on providing updates on current policy and action items, this webinar will present how Illinois’ Welcoming City Ordinance and New Way Forward Act represent inventive immigration policies that counteract racial oppression and detention, ensuring due process and the rights of immigrant communities.  

Go to Webinar
Mar 30
0

Encuentro: Defending Migrant Rights Across the Americas

By | Opportunities

Encuentro: Defending Migrant Rights Across the Americas  

USC Equity Research Institute (April 13, 2021)

This virtual conference will examine the contemporary immigration policies of South America and how the United States may create its own innovative policy that centers upon migrant access to legal status and ensure their right to live a dignified life.  

Go to Webinar
Mar 30
0

Promoting Permanency during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Use of Remote Assessments in Permanency Planning

By | Opportunities

Promoting Permanency during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Use of Remote Assessments in Permanency Planning 

International Social Service USA (April 14, 2021) 

Open to both agencies and individuals involved in child welfare-related planning and assessment, this training will provide guidance on best practices that protect staff and clients in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and adapting services to virtual work with families. Finally, the legal and ethical implications of doing virtual assessment and what this means for practice going forward will be discussed.

Go to Webinar
Mar 30
0

Building Bridges for Every Child: Reception, Care and Services to Support Unaccompanied Children in the United States

By | Child Well-Being, Detention, Family Separation, Immigrant Youth, Immigration Enforcement, Transnational Resources, Unaccompanied Minors

Building Bridges for Every Child: Reception, Care and Services to Support Unaccompanied Children in the United States

UNICEF (February 2021) 

This report from UNICEF provides a roadmap of practice in the humane reception of unaccompanied children. Utilizing examples from both the United States and abroad, it provides eight recommendations that span the work of international child rights, domestic child welfare, and immigration to create an environment that functions in the best interest of children.

Feb 25
0

Connecting Cross-Border Families

By | Family Separation, Foster Care, Highlighted Resources, Legal/Law, Practice, Practice Highlight, Social Workers, Topics, Transnational Resources, Unaccompanied Minors

Connecting Cross-Border Families 

Child Welfare Information Gateway (November 13, 2020) 

In this podcast, Elaine Weisman of the ISS-USA discusses topics relating to cross-border cases, including resources for caseworkers seeking to reunify families separated at the border and how current laws and policies can impact agencies working across borders. 

Feb 25
0

How to Support Immigrant Students and Families: Strategies for Schools and Early Childhood Programs

By | Child Well-Being, Culture: Issues & Competencies, Early Childhood, Highlighted Resources, Immigrant Youth, Practice, Practice Highlight, Topics, Youth & Families

How to Support Immigrant Students and Families: Strategies for Schools and Early Childhood Programs 

¡Colorín Colorado! (December 2018) 

This guide provides an exhaustive list of over 50 strategies for educators in schools and early childhood programs to establish responsive environments for immigrant children and their families. Each strategy covers why it is important, how to get started, recommended resources and videos, and examples from the field. 

Feb 25
0

Remedying the Separation of Families at the U.S. Mexico Border

By | Child Well-Being, Deportation, Family Separation, Federal Policy, Highlighted Resources, Immigrant Youth, Law & Policy, Law/Policy Highlight, Legal/Law, Topics

Remedying the Separation of Families at the U.S. Mexico Border 

Ann Garcia, CLINIC (December 1, 2020) 

This transition paper discusses the impact of the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance policy on immigrant families separated at the border. It then offers five policy recommendations that can be undertaken in the first 100 days of the Biden administration. 

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