Quick Guide to Federal Child Welfare and Immigration Law
by ABA (March 15, 2017)
This document offers a brief overview of law and resources for child welfare attorneys and others who seek options for immigrant children or parents.
Get the GuideThe Effect of Hostile Immigration Policies on Children’s Mental Health
The Children’s Partnership (March 2017)
Psychological harm and behavioral consequences from fear and stress can occur in children of immigrant families even if parents are not deported or detained.
Read MoreFamily Preparedness Plan
Immigrant Legal Resource Center (March 2017)
This planning guide (also available in Spanish and Chinese) helps immigrant parents in undocumented or mixed-status families prepare for the unexpected through concrete steps like arranging for alternative care for children if it should be needed.
Get the GuideRepresenting Children in Immigration Proceedings
Immigration Advocates Network (2017)
This page contains resources for professionals who are representing children in immigration proceedings.
Access the ResourcesUnaccompanied Alien Children: An Overview
William Kandel, Congressional Research Service (January 2017)
This report provides background and scope on the situation of unaccompanied migrant children in the U.S. as well as the current related policy landscape and practice in various government agencies to address this population.
Read Full ReportDemographic Trends of Children of Immigrants
Tyler Woods and Devlin Hanson, Urban Institute (October 2016)
Findings demonstrate population growth of children of immigrants, locations, and other details that statistically describe their presence and circumstances in the U.S.
Read MoreTranslating “Best Interests”: Child Welfare Decisions at the US–México Border
Naomi Glenn-Levin Rodriguez, Political and Legal Anthropology Review (Sept 2016)
The “best interest” principle is examined as effects judicial decisions affecting children. (Link provides abstract only without institutional or paid access.)
Read the AbstractReunification: Bringing Your Children Home From Foster Care
Child Welfare Information Gateway, Factsheets for Families (2016)
This factsheet describes the reunification process for foster children and their families, including resources and expectations of what may happen during and after foster care and how to best facilitate the return home.
Get the FactsheetCrisis on the Border: Specialized Capacity Building in Nonprofit Immigration Organizations
Dyana P. Mason and Emily Fiocco, VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations (June 27, 2016)
This study examines two organizations serving unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S.–Mexico Border as well as the policy context for capacity investments and capacity building in the government and nonprofit arenas.
Learn MoreEmpty Benches: Underfunding of Immigration Courts Undermines Justice
American Immigration Council (June 17, 2016)
The shortage of immigration judges is one of the major problems affecting the U.S. immigration system. Over the past decade, Congress has increased immigration enforcement funding exponentially, yet has not provided the immigration courts with the funding to respond, creating a major backlog that threatens the integrity of the immigration justice system.
See the Report