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A Timeline: Tracking How the Second Trump Administration Is Rolling Back Protections for Unaccompanied Children

By | Child Well-Being, Federal Policy, Highlighted Resources, Immigrant Youth, Law & Policy, Law/Policy Highlight, Safety, Unaccompanied Minors

A Timeline: Tracking How the Second Trump Administration Is Rolling Back Protections for Unaccompanied Children

Kids in Need of Defense (October 6, 2025)

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.

Expedited Removal and Unaccompanied Children: An FAQ

By | Deportation, Highlighted Resources, Immigrant Youth, Immigration Enforcement, Legal Professionals, Practice, Practice Highlight, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), Unaccompanied Minors

Expedited Removal and Unaccompanied Children: An FAQ

Immigrant Legal Resource Center (November 21, 2025)

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.

Screening for Immigration Relief: Client Intake Form and Notes

By | Immigration Relief, Legal Professionals, Legal/Law, Practice, Practice Highlight

Screening for Immigration Relief: Client Intake Form and Notes

ILRC Attorneys, Immigrant Legal Resource Center (October 2, 2025)

This resource provides a comprehensive client intake form with accompanying guidance notes to help practitioners screen for immigration relief options, identify potential issues, and assess eligibility pathways during the initial assessment stage.

Staying Whole: A Love Letter to Immigrant Parents

By | Immigration Enforcement, Parenting, Practice, Practice Highlight, Youth & Families

Staying Whole: A Love Letter to Immigrant Parents

Children Thrive Action Network, National Parents Union, and Little Justice Leaders (October 2025)

This resource, available in English and Spanish, provides immigrant parents with mental health support, safety planning guidance, and strategies for talking with their children during immigration enforcement, addressing the emotional toll of federal immigration policies on families and communities.

The Unraveling of ORR: A Quick and Calculated Undoing of a System Intended to Protect Children

By | Child Well-Being, Federal Policy, Foster Care, Immigrant Youth, Law & Policy, Law/Policy Highlight, Unaccompanied Minors

The Unraveling of ORR: A Quick and Calculated Undoing of a System Intended to Protect Children

Neha Desai, Melissa Adamson, & Dr. Ryan Matlow; National Center for Youth Law (September 2025)

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.

 

Making ‘Best interest’ visible: the role of frontline staff in the care of unaccompanied children

By | Foster Care, Immigrant Youth, Immigration Relief, Research, Research Highlight, Unaccompanied Minors, Unaccompanied Minors Research

Making ‘Best interest’ visible: the role of frontline staff in the care of unaccompanied children

Benjamin Roth, John Doering-White, Breanne Grace, Jessica H. Darrow, Aimee Herring, and Stefan Liew; Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (August 25, 2025)

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.

All in for a Thriving Connecticut: Opportunities to Support Upward Mobility for the State’s Immigrant Families

By | Immigrant Families Research, Language Issues, Research, Research Highlight

All in for a Thriving Connecticut: Opportunities to Support Upward Mobility for the State’s Immigrant Families

Margie McHugh, Julia Gelatt, Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, Katherine Habben, Jacob Hofstetter and Julie Sugarman; Migration Policy Institute (September 2025)

This report examines how Connecticut’s state policies and services can better support immigrant integration and upward mobility, analyzing eight key areas including education, housing, healthcare, and workforce development based on interviews with state and local stakeholders.

Resources to Help Prevent Child Labor Exploitation

By | Immigrant Youth, Practice, Safety, Social Workers, Unaccompanied Minors

Resources to Help Prevent Child Labor Exploitation

Kids in Need of Defense & Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights (2025)

These resources are designed to address/prevent child labor exploitation:

  1. Connect, Assess, Respond, and Educate (C.A.R.E.): A Toolkit for Professionals Serving Unaccompanied Children Experiencing Labor Exploitation: This resource can help professionals working with unaccompanied minors to identify and address child labor exploitation.
  2. LEPP Videos: These videos, available in English and Spanish, outline the rights of youth workers, how to spot labor exploitation, and what to do in cases of suspected labor exploitation.
  3. LEPP Flyer: This flyer, available in 16 languages, mirrors the information in LEPP’s first animated video, titled “Want to work? You have rights!”
  4. “Where to find help” webpage: Available in English and Spanish, this webpage provides resources on where to find help if a young person suspects they are experiencing labor exploitation, job training resources, hotline information, and other resources.
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