Representing Children in Immigration Proceedings
Immigration Advocates Network (2017)
This page contains resources for professionals who are representing children in immigration proceedings.
Access the ResourcesTranslating “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 AbstractA Guide to Children Arriving at the Border: Laws, Policies, and Responses
American Immigration Council (June 2015)
This guide provides information about the tens of thousands of children who have fled their homes in Central America and arrived at our southern border. It seeks to explain the basics about who these children are, what happens to them when they arrive in the U.S., laws in place to help them, and proposed legislation to help these children.
Read MoreEmerging Issues in State-Based Immigration Reform
The Government Law Center, Albany Law School, 2015 Warren M. Anderson Legislative Breakfast Series (February 2015)
View the recording of the Albany Law School’s 2015 Warren M. Anderson Breakfast Seminar and access supplementary materials about state-based immigration reform, including information on unaccompanied minors, state benefits and state-issued identification documents for immigrants, and state support for immigrant legal services.
View Seminar Recording Access Supplementary MaterialsGuidelines for Detention Center Personnel Working with Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Minor
National Latina/o Psychological Association (January 2015)
A set of guidelines for individuals who work in detention centers and specifically with unaccompanied minors. The guidelines are organized by areas that contribute to the overall mental health and well-being of minors.
Read Full TextRefugee and Migrant Children: A Philanthropic Imperative
Grant Makers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (October 2014)
A YouTube video featuring the stories of three children of the tens of thousands who have been forced to flee Central America due to violence.
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The ABCs of Representing Unaccompanied Children in Removal Proceedings
American Bar Association Commission on Immigration (October 2014)
These materials, from an October 2014 training, cover information on a range of topics related to representing unaccompanied immigrant children, including best practices for working with unaccompanied children, information on immigration law and removal proceedings, ethical considerations in representing unaccompanied minors, Special Immigration Juvenile Status, U and T Visas, and asylum law and initial jurisdiction issues.
Access ResourcesApplying the ICE Parental Interests Directive to Child Welfare Cases
Immigrant Legal Resource Center (August 26, 2014)
This resource summarizes the key provisions of the Directive and provides tips to those working within the dependency system on how to best ensure an immigrant parent can meaningfully participate in the dependency proceedings.
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For Immigrant Children Crossing Border, Fears Meet Court Backlog
NPR: All Things Considered (July 14, 2014)
Audie Cornish talks with Michelle Abarca, a supervising attorney with the Americans for Immigrant Justice, on how the surge in unaccompanied children has impacted her organization. Abarca also recommends ways of coping with the influx.
Read Full InterviewNon-citizen Youth in the Juvenile Justice System: A Practice Guide to Juvenile Detention Reform
The Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Immigrant Legal Resources Center and Legal Services for Children (June 2014)
This guide addresses the needs of non-citizen youth involved with the juvenile justice system. The authors discuss the impact of immigration status on juvenile justice cases and offer information on the intersection between the juvenile justice and immigration enforcement legal systems.
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