Resources

Immigration Rules Change Could Mean More Kids Separated From Parents

By | Highlighted Resources, Practice Highlight

Immigration Rules Change Could Mean More Kids Separated From Parents

Sara Tiano, The Chronicle of Social Change (January 23, 2019)

The proposed changes to the public charge rule are expected to result in immigrant families forgoing public benefits like housing assistance and food stamps, putting them at increased risk of involvement with child welfare.

Trump Administration to Nearly Double Size of Detention Center for Migrant Teenagers

By | In the News

Trump Administration to Nearly Double Size of Detention Center for Migrant Teenagers

Miriam Jordan, The New York Times (January 15th, 2019)

The federal government said this week it had effectively closed a teeming tent city for migrant children on the Texas border, a facility that opponents of the Trump administration’s tough immigration policies had described as a juvenile prison.But plans are now underway in Florida to nearly double the capacity of a similar, unregulated detention center for migrant teenagers, federal officials confirmed this week.

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The Trump Immigration-Law Change That Could Increase Child Poverty by 5 Percent in New York City

By | In the News

The Trump Immigration-Law Change That Could Increase Child Poverty by 5 Percent in New York City

Michelle Chen, The Nation (January 11, 2019)

In New York, the proposed public charge rule would harm an estimated 400,000 to 700,000 people, according to new study focusing on the social impact of the public-charge proposal. The impact would play out largely through the “chilling effect” of being discouraged or deterred from accessing benefits.

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Detained or Deported: What about my children?

By | Deportation, Detention, Family Separation, Immigration Enforcement, Parenting, Practice, Practice Highlight, Resources, Social Workers, Toolkits, Handbooks, Guides & Books, Youth & Families

Detained or Deported: What about my children?

Emily Butera, Dana Chou, Jessica Jones & Joanne Kelsey, Women’s Refugee Commission (Updated 2019)

This toolkit, available in both English and Spanish, provides information for detained parents and their advocates on how to prevent their children from entering the child welfare system, how to navigate the child welfare system, and how to make arrangements for their children when their immigration case ends. This toolkit will be available in all detention facilities that hold adults for more than 72 hours.

Spanish VersionSupplement

Immigrant Communities and the Public Charge Rule

By | Highlighted Resources, Immigrant Families Research, Research, Research Highlight

Immigrant Communities and the Public Charge Rule

Sarah Horton, Whitney Duncan, and Kristin Yarris, Anthropology News (October 29,2018)

This paper addresses ways in which immigrant communities have been impacted by the Trump administration’s proposed public charge rule. Different accounts are detailed in which families have made decisions to avoid the use of health care; even for children who are U.S. citizens. Anthropologists are encouraged to document these “chilling effects” and to stay alert to how public charge anxiety influences people’s engagement with local services.

How State-level Child Care Development Fund Policies May Shape Access and Utilization among Hispanic Families

By | Early Childhood, Highlighted Resources, Immigrant Families Research, Research, Research Highlight, State Policies, Topics

How State-level Child Care Development Fund Policies May Shape Access and Utilization among Hispanic Families

Lisa Gennetian, Julia L. Mendez, and Zoelene Hill, National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families (January 2019)

This research brief draws on a newly developed framework to understand how state policy context may contribute to racial/ethnic disparities in the use of CCDF subsidies—especially the low use by eligible Hispanic families.

Responding to Inappropriate RFEs and NOIDS in Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Cases

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

Responding to Inappropriate RFEs and NOIDS in Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Cases

Sharon Hing, Alison Kamhi, and Rachel Prandini, Immigrant Legal Resource Center (December 2018)
This practice advisory provides an overview of the law governing RFEs and NOIDs, outlines the changes to USCIS policy announced in the July 2018 Policy Memo, and sets forth a six-step process to follow when responding to requests for additional evidence. Also included are sample arguments to make when responding to common RFE and NOID scenarios in the SIJS context.

The Protection Gauntlet: How the United States is Blocking Access to Asylum Seekers and Endangering the Lives of Children at the U.S. Border.

By | Highlighted Resources, Practice, Practice Highlight, Social Workers, Topics

The Protection Gauntlet: How the United States is Blocking Access to Asylum Seekers and Endangering the Lives of Children at the U.S. Border

Kids in Need of Defense (December 21, 2018)

This is a report from Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) documenting their visit to formal and informal refugee camps and shelters in Tijuana, Mexico to observe the conditions that unaccompanied children are facing and their ability to access U.S. protection. They found children living in squalid conditions and suffering greatly while waiting to be allowed to present at the port of entry.

Recommendations to Prevent and Address Sexual and Gender – based Violence in Central America’s Northern Triangle

By | Child Well-Being, Highlighted Resources, Practice Highlight, Topics

Recommendations to Prevent and Address Sexual and Gender-based Violence in Central America’s Northern Triangle

Kids in Need of Defense (2018)

This resource reviews recommendations to prevent and address sexual and gender- based violence through justice sector reforms, child protection system reforms, services for victims, and SGBV prevention.

Request for Help

By | Opportunities

Request for Help

Tahirih Justice Center

Vilma Carrillo Carrillo is a survivor of violence & a mother who has been detained and separated from her child. Because she is detained, she may lose her parental rights to her child, who is a US citizen. Read more about her story here. Please help Vilma reunite with her daughter by pushing out messages on social media. Actor Penn Badgley has joined the fight to bring attention to Vilma’s case. You can help by retweeting @PennBadgley, using the hashtag #Release Vilma, and sending tweets to ICE and DHS Secretary Kirsjen Nielsen. You can also share a petition, asking ICE to immediately release Vilma.

Sign Petition

7-Year-Old Migrant Girl Taken into Border Patrol Custody Dies of Dehydration, Exhaustion

By | In the News

7-Year-Old Migrant Girl Taken into Border Patrol Custody Dies of Dehydration, Exhaustion

Nick Mirof, The Washington Post (December 13, 2018)

A 7-year-old girl from Guatemala died of dehydration and shock after she was taken into Border Patrol custody last week for crossing from Mexico into the United States illegally with her father and a large group of migrants along a remote span of New Mexico desert, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Thursday.

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Refusing to Leave Child Immigrants to Chance

By | Highlighted Resources, Law/Policy Highlight

Refusing to Leave Child Immigrants to Chance

Sharon E. Goldsmith, American Bar Association (February, 2017)

Thousands of children have fled their homes in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala seeking refuge in Maryland, as many fear for their lives due to violence in their home countries. In response, stakeholders were convened to coordinate an appropriate response including providing the children free legal representation. This resource reviews the Maryland Model, designed to assist these children in securing a safer future.

After Photos Emerge of Using Tear Gas on Child Migrants, Top U.S. Border Official Defends Use

By | In the News

After Photos Emerge of Using Tear Gas on Child Migrants, Top U.S. Border Official Defends Use

Molly O’Toole, Los Angeles Times (December 11, 2018)

The head of the federal agency responsible for protecting the U.S. border on Tuesday defended his agents for using tear gas against migrants last month, but lawmakers pressed him about women and children forced to flee clouds of the noxious gas.

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A Court Ruling May Allow Migrant Families to Be Held Indefinitely. These Families Know What That Could Be Like.

By | In the News

A Court Ruling May Allow Migrant Families to Be Held Indefinitely. These Families Know What That Could Be Like.

Teo Armus, The Texas Tribune (December 10, 2018)

Migrant children are not supposed to be detained for more than 20 days in unlicensed facilities. Texas may be able to license two family detention centers, in Dilley and Karnes County, after an appeals court ruling last week.

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Feds Say Kids Don’t Need Lawyers in Immigration Court

By | In the News

Feds Say Kids Don’t Need Lawyers in Immigration Court

Nicholas Iovino, Courthouse News Service (December 10, 2018)

Having a lawyer makes a big difference, especially for unaccompanied minors, according data compiled by Syracuse University. As of 2014, 73 percent of unaccompanied minors with attorneys were allowed to stay in the United States compared with 15 percent of those without representation.

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