This report examines the rise in habeas corpus petitions filed on behalf of unaccompanied children, a novel strategy to win release from prolonged ORR custody caused by cumbersome sponsor vetting and organizational inefficiencies.
This systematic review finds that trauma-informed, culturally responsive services coordinated across legal, educational, health, and community settings strengthen stability and long-term well-being for unaccompanied immigrant children, while gaps in legal protections and service coordination point to the need for rights-centered policies.
This resource outlines how the Trump administration is imposing fees and fines on unaccompanied children that could total roughly $30,000 for those seeking humanitarian protection, pushing them into debt and raising their risk of exploitation and trafficking.
This resource helps children and families know what to expect from a forensic evaluation, which can strengthen an immigration case, including what happens during and after the appointment, with self-care tips along the way.
This resource explains how USCIS is changing public charge decisions for in-U.S. green card applications filed on or after September 18, 2026, and what the shift from the structured 2022 rule means for applicants.
This resource offers downloadable guides to help unaccompanied children and youth navigate their immigration cases, covering topics like checking USCIS case status, applying for a green card after SIJS approval, and preparing for appointments and hearings.
This report draws on interviews with California community health workers and promotores to show how immigration enforcement and policy changes are compounding economic pressures and making it harder for immigrant families to safely access health care and other essential supports.
A proposed HHS rule would eliminate more than 1,400 Head Start provisions and require English-only instruction, threatening quality standards and especially undermining supports for Dual Language Learners and their families.
A new 528-bed ICE facility in Alexandria, Louisiana, may soon begin holding families with children, unaccompanied minors, and single women awaiting removal.
The Trump administration is creating a team of HHS attorneys to represent unaccompanied children in immigration proceedings, which critics say would replace independent counsel with government-employed lawyers and raise children’s risk of deportation.
ICE has arrested more than 8,500 children during Trump’s second term, including more than twice as many through July as in the same period last year, often holding them in hotels and office buildings where lawyers and families can’t find them.
As of October 1, many refugees and other humanitarian immigrants are no longer eligible for Medicaid and CHIP until they obtain a green card, and a growing application backlog means many could go without coverage indefinitely.
Immigrant advocacy groups have sued the Trump administration, alleging new policies fast-track unaccompanied children’s asylum cases into a “deportation assembly line” that strips them of their rights.
The National Immigration Project and End SIJS Backlog Coalition have launched the SIJS Habeas Project, which is now accepting referrals nationwide and recruiting pro bono attorneys to file federal habeas petitions for SIJS youth held in ICE detention.
This solidarity guide offers practical guidance for anyone who wants to protect and support immigrant neighbors and communities amid intensifying enforcement.
A pilot study of a school-based immigrant rights education program found high levels of empowerment and well-being among 137 participants, with a direct link between legal rights empowerment and psychological well-being across all three program versions.
A study of nearly 400,000 immigration court cases finds that unaccompanied minors’ access to legal representation is shaped not only by geography and resource availability but also by client characteristics like gender, age, nationality, and Indigeneity, highlighting deep inequities in who receives counsel in removal proceedings.
This brief summarizes Trump’s two August 2026 executive orders on birth tourism and birthright citizenship and identifies the harms they pose to U.S.-born children.
This analysis finds that federal investments in children have declined for the fifth straight year, with the Trump administration’s proposed budget cutting $1.842 billion in funding for immigrant and refugee children, including from Title I Migrant Education, refugee assistance programs, and English language acquisition grants.
This workbook, available in multiple languages, helps parents facing possible deportation make a plan for their children’s care in the event of separation, with guidance on key decisions and next steps.
© 2026 CICW.