This policy brief documents how the Trump administration is using government agencies to separate families and remove thousands of children from the U.S., disregarding children’s rights and safety while deepening trauma and blocking reunification, and calls for urgent action to restore protections for family unity and children’s well-being.
This report lifts up the voices of newcomer youth and service providers in the Bay Area to reveal how systemic barriers deepen inequities despite California’s strong immigrant commitments, and highlights key challenges, recommendations, and an overview of state-funded programs serving these youth.
This timeline follows the policy changes that have eroded child welfare and anti-trafficking safeguards for children seeking safety in the United States during the 2nd Trump administration.
This resource addresses concerns about the Trump administration’s January 2025 expansion of expedited removal and provides arguments against applying this deportation process to young people who entered as unaccompanied children or have approved SIJS.
This briefing examines recent ORR policy changes, documents the barriers and extended custody times children face, presents expert psychological analysis of the harms caused, and proposes congressional solutions to improve outcomes for unaccompanied children in federal care.
This study analyzes how ORR shelter staff interpret and implement “best interest” standards for unaccompanied children, finding that narrow compliance measures may obscure children’s lived experiences and affect their perceived deservingness of legal relief in immigration court.
These resources are designed to address/prevent child labor exploitation:
This brief summarizes the findings and key recommendations from a study examining immigration status documentation in California’s child welfare records for transition-age youth in foster care.
This book examines language socialization experiences of Maya-speaking Guatemalan youth in Los Angeles, exploring how language affects their integration and sense of belonging in both Guatemalan and American communities.
This resources describes the impacts of the budget reconciliation law on immigrant child and families.
© 2026 CICW.