Oversight of the Care of Unaccompanied Alien Children
United States Senate, Permanent Subcommittee of Investigations, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (August 15, 2018)
This report documents findings related to the oversight of federal government programs designed to care for unaccompanied children and ensure they are not trafficked or abused The subcommittee has focused on weaknesses in the care of unaccompanied children and placement with sponsors.
Fact Sheet on Family Separation
CLINIC (August 9, 2018)
This fact sheet describes the process by which the Trump Administration carried out family separation and how the related federal court ruling Ms. L v. ICE addresses family separation.
Legal Referrals for Asylum Seeking Families
The Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (August 2018)
ASAP has created a spreadsheet of Legal Referrals for Asylum-Seeking Families, which lists (1) hundreds of private immigration attorneys in many states and (2) information on pro se help desks and other limited scope representation efforts in various cities. Additional resources are available here.
Uncovering the Government’s Internal Family Separation Policies, Guidance, and Data
American Immigration Council (June 27, 2018)
The American Immigration Council and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP filed a complaint on June 27, 2018 challenging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) failure to response to FOIA requests compelling government agencies to produce documents regarding family separation policies, guidance, and data.
Five Ways Trump’s Enforcement Regime is Devastating Children and Families
Women’s Refugee Commission (July 2018)
This publication discusses some of the human rights abuses resulting from the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.
For Vulnerable Immigrant Children, A Longstanding Path to Protection Narrows
Austin Rose, Migration Policy Institute (July 25, 2018)
Nearly 210,000 unaccompanied immigrant children were detained at the U.S.-Mexico border between fiscal years (FY) 2014 and 2017, the majority coming from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras…This article provides an overview of the SIJ program and its growth as a pathway to protection for immigrant children. Drawing on a series of interviews with immigrant youth, adult sponsors, attorneys, and judges, it also identifies limitations on access to SIJ.
Frequently Asked Questions About Separated Children and the Child Welfare System
ABA Center on Children and the Law, Women’s Refugee Commission, and the Center on Immigration and Child Welfare (July 2018)
This fact sheet answers frequently asked questions about family separation due to immigration enforcement and what happens to the children in these separated families.
Database to Track Family Separations, Support Family Tracing, and Identify Trends
Women’s Refugee Commission & Innovation Lab (July, 2018)
The Women’s Refugee Commission and Innovation Law Lab launched a new database to help track family separations, to support family tracing, and to assist with the identification of trends. The database is simple, secure, and confidential, and it allows family separation data to be collected and organized in a centralized way to help push back against harmful practices and support litigation efforts on a case by case basis. WRC and ILL will share anonymized, aggregated data with collaborators on family separations and for use in policy advocacy and to facilitate reunifications. To sign up to use the WRC-ILL database and to obtain a login, please email intake@wrcommission.org. Questions may also be directed to intake@wrcommission.org.
Backgrounder: Family Case Management Program
Women’s Refugee Commission (July 2018)
This backgrounder from the WRC covers the Family Case Management Program (FCMP), which is the case-management based alternative to detention program for families seeking protection that the Trump administration terminated in June 2017. This program was a far more appropriate approach to families in immigration proceedings, with high rates of compliance with immigration requirements and high cost-efficiency.
