Immigrant Children
Every year, an astonishing number of children enter the United States without a parent or guardian. The reasons they set out on long and perilous journeys—violent gangs, domestic abuse, and abject poverty, among others—are well known. But what happens once they get here? Many come into contact with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and are placed in the care and custody of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). While in custody or after release to a sponsor, the children must go through the daunting process of immigration proceedings in court, a task made even more difficult without legal representation. Our programs provide information and representation to these children through these processes to protect their due process rights.
Additionally, an unusual study co-led by professional researchers at Vera and young adults who came alone to the United States earlier in their lives reveals the difficulties young solo immigrants routinely face: stigmatized as undocumented, shut out of school, made homeless when relationships with relatives are strained, and a host of other troubles. Yet the study also suggests how resilient they are, a sign of their untapped potential. For communities nationwide, this study can be the beginning of blueprint for how to welcome some of the most intrepid new Americans.
Featured
Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children
Increasing legal representation for immigrant children facing deportation without a parent or legal guardian
Each year, thousands of unaccompanied children, many fleeing unspeakable violence in their own countries, enter the United States. Upon apprehension and after enduring a harrowing journey, they are detained in federal custody in facilities contracted by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), and immediately placed in removal (deportation) procee ...
Project
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Shaina Aber
Struggle for Identity and Inclusion
Unaccompanied Immigrant Youth in New York City
Youth have been arriving at U.S. borders on their own since the early days of Ellis Island, but it was not until the summer of 2014—when the number of unaccompanied immigrant youth arriving to the United States from Central America increased nearly tenfold from recent years—that child migrants became the topic of an urgent political debate. While l ...
The Flow of Unaccompanied Children through the Immigration System
A Resource for Practitioners, Policymakers, and Researchers
Every year, thousands of unaccompanied children are detained in the U.S. immigrant system. These children—who are not afforded the right to free public defense—must often navigate a web of laws, policies, and government agencies alone. Vera, with funding from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), works with a national network of legal service p ...
Related Work
Express Injustice
Expedited Immigration Hearings Pose Danger to Detained Children’s Right to a Fair Process
Series: Covid-19
Unaccompanied Children Suffer as Hearings are Sped Up, Switched to Video During COVID-19 Crisis
Video teleconference (VTC) hearings allow unaccompanied children to participate in court proceedings without physically appearing in court. The children answer questions from a judge on a screen, who might be translated by an interpreter in a third location. Such hearings are commonplace in adult immigration proceedings, despite concerns about thei ...
Blog Post
Erica Bryant
A Year of Being SAFE
Insights from the SAFE Network’s First Year
The SAFE (Safety and Fairness for Everyone) Network is a group of 12 diverse local jurisdictions, convened by the Vera Institute of Justice, that have committed public taxpayer dollars toward legal representation for immigrants in their communities facing deportation. During its first year, the SAFE Network represented hundreds of clients with deep ...
SAFE in Less than 60 Seconds
Annie Chen, program director of the SAFE Network, explains the need for representation in immigration court. Additional photography by: Elvert Barnes, Jonathan Mcintosh, Christopher Sessums and Jim McDougall via Creative Commons.
Immigrant Connection Project (ICON)
Are you an immigrant parent who has been separated from your child(ren) and is trying to reconnect? Are you a legal services provider who knows a parent looking for their child? The Immigrant Connection Project (ICON) can help. Attorneys or parents seeking children should: Email familyconnect@vera.org or familiasunidas@vera.org.Call 800-845-8372 ...
Project
Anne Marie Mulcahy
Walls and Bridges
Legal Recourse for Immigrants in the Age of Zero Tolerance
Series: Gender and Justice in America
The intersection of immigration and criminal justice for women, girls, and transgender people
Americans are currently in a self-reflective mood: Primary voting turnout for the 2016 Presidential election has so far been extremely robust, with no hint of slowing down—a sure sign people are invested in who we are and where we are going as a country. Related to this political interest is the ongoing desire of many to see policy change in two of ...
Blog Post
Juhu Thukral
For illustrative purposes only.
Evaluation of justice AmeriCorps Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children Program
The number of unaccompanied immigrant children arriving in the U.S. has grown exponentially in recent years. Most are escaping conflict and gang violence in their home countries. After arrival, they are scheduled for immigration hearings, but often face the court without legal representation. This program uses the AmeriCorps service model to provi ...
Project
Laura Simich
New York Immigrant Family Unity Project lays groundwork for constitutional victory
A recent decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit established that an immigrant is constitutionally entitled to a bond hearing within six months of being detained and must be released on bond unless the government provides compelling evidence that he or she is a flight risk or danger to the community. This important dec ...
Blog Post
Bettina Rodriguez Schlegel
Language Access Resources for Working with Unaccompanied Children
A significant number of children who enter Office of Refugee Resettlement custody do not speak English. Communicating with these children can be challenging for attorneys and other service providers. To respond to this need, Vera’s Unaccompanied Children Legal Services Program has produced three resources: Glossary of Legal Spanish - A bilingual (E ...
Unaccompanied migrant children in Europe and U.S. share similar struggles
Unaccompanied migrant children are once again visible, as the New York Times reported recently in their article, “Migrant Children, Arriving Alone and Frightened.” As the “migrant crisis” in Europe captures public attention, the debate over the rights of migrants, who are fleeing for their lives—and, of course, seeking a living—veers from disturbin ...
Blog Post
Laura Simich
Struggle for Identity and Inclusion
Unaccompanied Immigrant Youth in New York City
Vera partnered with Fordham Law School’s Feerick Center for Social Justice to conduct a research study that explores the needs and experiences of New York City’s unaccompanied immigrant youth. The study, Struggle for Identity and Inclusion: Unaccompanied Immigrant Youth in New York City, draws upon the personal expertise of these youth and system s ...