What to know about SB 4, the Texas immigration law in the courts now
Becky Sullivan, NPR (March 20, 2024)
Texas Senate Bill 4 would allow state and local law enforcement enforce immigration law.
Immigrant families on edge amid uncertainty over new Texas law
Carlos Nogueras Ramos, The Texas Tribune (March 21, 2024)
Immigrant families in Texas live in uncertainty as SB4 limbos in a back and forth of court rulings and appeals.
Connecting Immigrant Communities to Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Services
Migration Policy Institute • April 5, 2024 • 10amPT/1pmET
This webinar will discuss the importance of infant and early childhood mental-health services for immigrant children and families and highlight approaches for connecting immigrant and refugee families with these services.
New CICW Legal Network
The CICW is launching a new professional network for legal practitioners, judicial decision makers, and court administrators interested in meaningfully addressing the legal needs of immigrant children, parents, and families involved in state child welfare systems. Click the link above for more info and click here to join.
Through Iceboxes and Kennels: How Immigration Detention Harms Children and Families
Luis Zayas, Oxford University Press (May 2023)
This book reviews the history and politics of immigration enforcement and detention centers operated by private prison companies, featuring the stories of children and parents and highlighting the negatives impacts to children’s growth and development.
An examination of child welfare agency models that serve immigrant children and families
Kristina K. Lovato, Megan Finno-Velasquez, Sophia Sepp, Effie Clayton & Kelechi Chinyere Wright; Journal of Public Child Welfare (March 18, 2024)
This study examined child welfare system models for serving immigrant children and families. Findings highlight the importance of specialization of immigrant-related knowledge and skill sets, relationships with consulates and external stakeholders, and innovative engagement approaches.
‘Yo Soy la Mamá’: A Migrant Mother’s Struggle to Get Back Her Son
Deborah Sontag, The New York Times (March 25, 2024)
Olga, a Honduran migrant and mother of two, fled to the U.S. to escape an abusive husband. When her son was taken by his father, physically abused, and removed by the child welfare system in Massachusetts, Olga was denied reunification for over a year because she was not a legal U.S. resident, highlighting the unique vulnerabilities and discrimination faced by undocumented immigrant parents who encounter the child welfare system.
Correcting Course: Restoring the critical protection of placement in licensed facilities for children in federal immigration custody
Neha Desai, Emma McGinn, & Laura Alvarez; National Center for Youth Law (April 2023)
This briefing reviews the history of state licensed care for children in federal immigration custody, its requirements and recent erosion, and provides recommendations to decrease the government’s reliance on unlicensed placements and restore the protections of state licensing.
Global Webinar on Cross Border Family Connections and Children’s Rights
International Social Service • March 19, 2024 • 7am PT/10amET
This webinar will provide an overview of the 7 principles and recommended child protection practices from the ISS Global Advocacy Paper on ‘Equity in Permanency’, which emphasizes the need for cross-border family connections for children in care.
