The Flow of Unaccompanied Children Through the Immigration System- A Resource for Practitioners, Policy Makers, and Researchers
Vera Institute of Justice (March 2012)
In light of the complexity of the legal process for unaccompanied children detained by U.S. immigration, this report provides a thorough overview of the system as a resource for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers working to help these children.
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Special Status Seekers: Through the Underused SIJS Process, Immigrant Juveniles May Obtain Legal Status
Los Angeles Lawyer (February 2012)
Written by Kristen Jackson, this article discusses the use of Special Immigrant Juvenile Status as a form of immigration relief for immigrant youth.
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Special Immigrant Status for Certain Aliens Declared Dependent on a Juvenile Court
Special Immigrant Juvenile, Code of Federal Regulations, Title 8, § 204.11
Government Publishing Office (2012)
Provides guidance on the process for establishing an immigrant child’s eligibility for an immigrant visa when the child has been placed in foster care and is declared dependent by a juvenile court.
Read CFRProperly Assessing Immigrant Children & Their Families to Best Meet the Complex Needs While in the System
Ken Borelli, Consultant, Immigration and Child Welfare/BRYCS & Coauthor of SIJS Legislation; Lara Bruce, MSW, Program Specialist, American Humane Association (March 2011)
A presentation from the National CASA Conference March 19th – 22nd, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois, summarizing the process of child welfare system involvement through the lens of the experience of immigrant children.
View PresentationChildren at the Border: The Screening, Protection and Repatriation of Unaccompanied Mexican Minors
Appleseed (2011)
This study by Appleseed explores the extent to which the Trafficking Victims Protection and Reauthorization Act of 2008 has improved the screening and protection of unaccompanied Mexican minors at the border and after repatriation and provides recommendations for improving treatment of these minors and compliance with the TVPRA.
Read Full ReportUndocumented and Abused: A Texas Case Study of Children in the Child Protective Services System
Center for Public Policy Priorities (September 2010)
Using Texas as a case study, this report examines undocumented children in the child welfare system and discusses why a blanket policy to send them home will not work. It also discusses how to improve the process through which these children can obtain legal residency. Finally, the article explains how federal immigration and child welfare law should be aligned to ensure that the federal government provides states the necessary financial support to care for this vulnerable population.
Read Full ReportImmigration Benchbook for Juvenile and Family Courts
Immigrant Legal Resource Center (July 2010)
This is a national benchbook for juvenile and family court judges on various immigration related issues including: Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, adoption, VAWA, U Visas, divorce, child custody, immigration consequences of delinquency and crime, and immigration enforcement.
Read the full textThe Impact of Detention and Deportation on Latino Immigrant Children and Families: A Quantitative Exploration
Kalina M. Brabeck and Qingwen Xu, Rhode Island College (July 2010)
This quantitative analysis found that parents with higher levels of legal vulnerability report a greater impact of detention/deportation on the family environment and children’s well-being. It also provides practice and policy implications.
Read the AnalysisLanguage, Culture, and Immigration Relief Options
First Focus (May 21, 2010)
This comprehensive series of papers and fact sheets examines the challenges that arise when the immigration and child welfare systems collide, and provides policy recommendations on how the two systems can work together to better protect the interests of children and families.
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