All Posts By

Sophia Sepp

Call for Papers: JEMS Special Issue on CBPR with Immigrant and Refugee Communities

By | Opportunities

Call for Papers: JEMS Special Issue on Community-Based Participatory Research with Immigrant and Refugee Communities

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies • June 16th, 2026

The Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies is seeking submissions for a proposed special issue focusing on how researchers and communities are adapting CBPR methodologies to prioritize safety, trust, and community expertise amid growing sociopolitical threats and surveillance concerns.

Considerations for unaccompanied immigrant children in the child welfare reform debat

By | Foster Care, Research, Research Highlight, Unaccompanied Minors, Unaccompanied Minors Research

Considerations for unaccompanied immigrant children in the child welfare reform debate

Zayna Lyon, Kerri Evans, and Morgan Pardue-Kim, Families in Society (February 8, 2025)

This article examines how the debate over child welfare system abolition or reform has overlooked the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the unaccompanied immigrant children it serves, calling for greater data access and participatory research to inform policy and practice.

Even the Playground Isn’t Safe: How Immigration Policies are Harming Our Youngest Children

By | Child Well-Being, Immigrant Families Research, Immigration Enforcement, Research, Research Highlight

Even the Playground Isn’t Safe: How Immigration Policies are Harming Our Youngest Children

Suma Setty, Kaelin Rapport, CLASP (April 16, 2026)

This report draws on interviews with 56 immigrant parents and 67 service providers across seven states to paint a stark picture of how the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement has destabilized families with young children, eroding their sense of safety in even the most everyday spaces.

How the Administration’s Enforcement Policies Are Separating Families and Harming Unaccompanied Children

By | Child Well-Being, Family Separation, Federal Policy, Immigrant Youth, Law & Policy, Law/Policy Highlight, Unaccompanied Minors

How the Administration’s Enforcement Policies Are Separating Families and Harming Unaccompanied Children

KIND (January 13, 2026)

This policy brief documents how the Trump administration’s immigration policies are separating families and undermining children’s rights and safety, and calls for an urgent recommitment to protections that prioritize family unity and children’s well-being.

Undermining Children’s Access to Education

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

Undermining Children’s Access to Education

KIND (March 19, 2026)

This spotlight documents how escalating ICE and CBP enforcement is deterring unaccompanied children from accessing public education amid emerging threats to the Plyler v. Doe ruling that guarantees all children the right to attend school regardless of immigration status.

Therapeutic Toolkit for Migrating and Separated Youth

By | Child Well-Being, Immigrant Youth, Practice, Practice Highlight, Social Work, Social Workers, Trauma, Unaccompanied Minors

Therapeutic Toolkit for Migrating and Separated Youth

KIND (April 2, 2026)

This toolkit offers research-backed, trauma-informed strategies and practical guidance to help clinical and non-clinical service providers support the well-being, resilience, and dignity of unaccompanied and separated children across a range of settings.

What is Happening with Deferred Action for Special Immigrant Juveniles (SIJs)

By | Immigration Relief, Legal Professionals, Practice, Practice Highlight, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)

What is Happening with Deferred Action for Special Immigrant Juveniles (SIJs)

Immigrant Legal Resource Center (April 27, 2026)

This practice alert breaks down USCIS’s April 2026 memo terminating automatic deferred action consideration for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) petitioners, with guidance on how the change affects petitions filed before and after the May 10 effective date.

CAREing While Supporting Clients Experiencing “Detention Fatigue”

By | Child Well-Being, Detention, Immigrant Youth, Practice, Practice Highlight, Social Work, Social Workers, Trauma, Unaccompanied Minors

CAREing While Supporting Clients Experiencing “Detention Fatigue”

KIND (May 18, 2026)

This practice guide equips service providers with trauma-informed, child-centered strategies — grounded in the CARE framework — to support children and youth experiencing prolonged detention in ORR custody and beyond.

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