Resources

The Health 202: HHS says it can’t place unaccompanied migrant children with sponsors as fast as they’re coming in

By | In the News

The Health 202: HHS says it can’t place unaccompanied migrant children with sponsors as fast as they’re coming in

Paige Winfield Cunningham, Washington Post (April 5, 2019)

The pool of unaccompanied migrant children under Health and Human Services custody is growing by 70 to 80 kids per day, reflecting record numbers of individuals and families from Central American countries who are streaming into the United States.

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We Must Preserve the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 for Unaccompanied Children

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

We Must Preserve the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 for Unaccompanied Children

Women’s Refugee Commission (April 3, 2019)

In an attempt to deter unaccompanied children from coming to the U.S., the Trump administration has made efforts to reduce or eliminate protections within the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (“TVPRA”) and to expedite processing for children already in the U.S. This backgrounder explains the danger of these changes, and how they protections for children seeking safety in the US.

Mitigating the Effects of Trauma among Young Children of Immigrants and Refugees: The Role of Early Childhood Programs

By | Early Childhood, Immigrant Families Research, Immigrant Youth, Research, Research Highlight, Topics

Mitigating the Effects of Trauma among Young Children of Immigrants and Refugees: The Role of Early Childhood Programs

Maki Park and Caitlin Katsiaficas, Migration Policy Institute (April 2019)

A child’s early years are a time of exceptional growth, and ones that can be profoundly affected by traumatic experiences. Research has firmly disproven the idea that infants and toddlers are “too young” to be affected by such experiences, leading to an increased awareness of the need for trauma-informed services for children. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs have the potential to play a central role in identifying and addressing the effects of trauma, with lifelong benefits.

How Early Childhood Providers Can Create “Safe Space” Policies

By | Early Childhood, Immigrant Youth, Legal Professionals, Practice, Practice Highlight, Social Workers, Youth & Families

How Early Childhood Providers Can Create “Safe Space” Policies

Rebecca Ullrich, CLASP (April 2019)

CLASP has released a guide to creating “safe space” policies for early childhood programs. Safe-space policies safeguard programs against immigration enforcement actions and protect families’ safety and privacy. In this guide, advocates, providers, and policymakers will find information about developing and implementing safe-space policies, sample policy text that can be adapted by individual early childhood programs, and a list of key resources for providers and parents.

Child Welfare Law, Immigration Policy, and Their Intersection

By | Federal Policy, Law & Policy, Legal/Law, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), Topics

Child Welfare Law, Immigration Policy, and Their Intersection

Howard Davidson, American Bar Association (n.d.)

This resource reviews intersecting laws and policies that impact child protective services and immigration. Included are federal laws and policies and suggested law and policy principles concerning child welfare services to undocumented child immigrants.

Approaches to Protect Children’s Access to Health and Human Services in an Era of Harsh Immigration Policy

By | Child Well-Being, Highlighted Resources, Research Highlight, Social Workers, Youth & Families

Approaches to Protect Children’s Access to Health and Human Services in an Era of Harsh Immigration Policy

Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Ajay Chaudry, Sarah Rendon Garcia, Heather Koball, & Trenel Francis, NYU Institute of Human Development and Change (March 28, 2019)

This report highlights key barriers facing low-income immigrant families in the U.S. immigration policy and enforcement context and discusses strategies that aim to mitigate or overcome barriers to safety-net program access for low-income immigrant families.

Webinar: Addressing Trauma in Young Children in Immigrant and Refugee Families Through Early Childhood Programs

By | Opportunities

Webinar: Addressing Trauma in Young Children in Immigrant and Refugee Families Through Early Childhood Programs

Migration Policy Institute (April 3, 2019)

In this webinar, speakers will discuss the intersection of trauma and early childhood development, exploring how migration-related trauma and stressors can influence the wellbeing of young children of immigrants. Researchers from MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy will review how to support young children of immigrants and refugees through early childhood and other programs.

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Webinar: Promoting Early Learning for Children of Immigrants: Family and Early Care and Education Supports

By | Opportunities

Webinar: Promoting Early Learning for Children of Immigrants: Family and Early Care and Education Supports

Foundation for Child Development (April 3, 2019)
This webinar highlights the benefits of supporting immigrant mothers and fathers as they promote their young children’s early learning at home and school. Lessons learned from two program interventions will be shared: 1) engaging Latina mothers as stakeholders involved in promoting their children’s elementary school achievement, and 2) supporting Mexican-American fathers’ positive parenting of their young children.

Keeping Immigrant Families in the Child Protection System Together

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

Keeping Immigrant Families in the Child Protection System Together

Ann Park, American Bar Association (March 26, 2019)

This article discusses legislation enacted in California that addresses some of these questions, as well as recent federal policy that helps safeguard the parental rights of undocumented immigrants involved in federal immigration enforcement proceedings. Additionally, this article reviews federal child welfare law and policy that support best practices for working with immigrant families.

Children as Bait: Impacts of the ORR-DHS Information-Sharing Agreement

By | Immigrant Youth, Legal/Law, Research, Research Highlight, Unaccompanied Minors, Unaccompanied Minors Research

Children as Bait: Impacts of the ORR-DHS Information-Sharing Agreement

Women’s Refugee Commission, National Immigrant Justice Center, Washington College of Law (March 26, 2019)

This report reviews the potential impacts of the new Memorandum of Agreement between the HHS and DHS to share information about unaccompanied children in government custody and their prospective sponsors. The report evaluates findings from a survey of individuals involved in the sponsorship application and vetting processes—including attorneys, biometrics technicians and fingerprint specialists, and child advocates—in order to better understand and document the full range of implications of this new MOA.

Preparing the Future Workforce: Early Care and Education Participation Among Children of Immigrants

By | Early Childhood, Highlighted Resources, Research Highlight

Preparing the Future Workforce: Early Care and Education Participation Among Children of Immigrants

Erica Greenberg, Victoria Rosenboom, & Gina Adams, Urban Institute (March 22, 2019)
This study describes the characteristics and enrollment of children of immigrants using the most current and comprehensive dataset available: the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten class of 2010-11.

Webinar: Current Issues Impacting TPS and DED Clients

By | Highlighted Resources, Immigration Relief, Legal Professionals, Legal/Law, Practice, Practice Highlight, Topics, Youth & Families

Webinar: Current Issues Impacting TPS and DED Clients

Catholic Legal Immigration Network (March 22, 2019)

This webinar reviews recent developments that affect TPS and DED clients, including litigation challenges, advocacy efforts, and best practice recommendations.

More Moms and Kids Withdrawing from Nutrition Program Because of Deportation Fears, Administrators Say

By | In the News

More Moms and Kids Withdrawing from Nutrition Program Because of Deportation Fears, Administrators Say

Alfred Lubrano, The Inquirer (March 20, 2019)

Low-income immigrant mothers are skipping the chance to get nutritious foods and help for their infants from a federal program because they fear deportation, or the loss of their children, according to the agencies that distribute those benefits.

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US Immigration Agents Find Ways Around ‘Sanctuary’ Policies

By | In the News

US Immigration Agents Find Ways Around ‘Sanctuary’ Policies

Astrid Galvan, The Washington Post (March 14, 2019)

Two years after New Mexico’s largest county barred local law enforcement from cooperating with immigration authorities, its leaders learned that the policy was being subverted from within. Staff members at the Bernalillo County jail in Albuquerque were still granting immigration authorities access to its database and, in some cases, tipping them off when a person of interest was being released.

Dream and Promise Act Provides Needed Solution for Immigrant Families

By | Highlighted Resources, Law/Policy Highlight

Dream and Promise Act Provides Needed Solution for Immigrant Families

CLASP (March 12, 2019)

This statement from CLASP addresses the introduction of the Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (H.R. 6) in the House of Representative. This bill would address the crisis faced by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) beneficiaries and immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) as a result of the Trump Administration’s actions.

U.S. Continues to Separate Migrant Families Despite Rollback of Policy

By | In the News
Miriam Jordan and Caitlin Dickerson, The New York Times (March 9, 2019)

Nearly nine months after the Trump administration officially rescinded its policy of separating migrant families who have illegally crossed the border, more than 200 migrant children have been taken from parents and other relatives and placed in institutional care, with some spending months in shelters and foster homes thousands of miles away from their parents.

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The Trump Administration May Have to Locate and Reunite More Separated Families

By | In the News

The Trump Administration May Have to Locate and Reunite More Separated Families

A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration is responsible for immigrant children who have been taken away from their parents, including those separated before the Department of Homeland Security instituted a “zero tolerance” policy at the border.

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