The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) and The Children’s Village present chapter seven of Where We Stand: A 20-Year Retrospective of the Unaccompanied Children’s Program in the United States. The retrospective reviews the Unaccompanied Children’s Program from the passage of the Homeland Security Act (HSA) of 2002 until today. It assesses 20 years of legislation, policies, litigation, and, […]
Category: Children Services
Chapter Five: Haiti Earthquake
The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) and The Children’s Village present chapter five, of Where We Stand: A 20-Year Retrospective of the Unaccompanied Children’s Program in the United States. The retrospective will review the Unaccompanied Children’s Program from the passage of the Homeland Security Act (HSA) of 2002 until today. It assesses 20 years of legislation, policies, litigation, and, most importantly, the […]
Facebook Live: A 20-Year Retrospective of the Unaccompanied Children’s Program
In partnership with the Children’s Village, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) has begun a one-year project looking back at the Unaccompanied Children’s Program from the passage of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 until today. This project will look at how the care of unaccompanied children has changed since the Homeland Security […]
USCRI’s Statement on the Resumption of the Remain in Mexico Program
The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) expresses disappointment at the Biden administration’s announcement that it will be resuming the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as the Remain in Mexico program, by mid-November. USCRI urges the administration to draft a new memorandum terminating the program before mid-November, following the guidelines and requirements set [...]
USCRI Policy Snapshot: Arriving Unaccompanied Children
Unaccompanied children (UCs) are minors who arrive in the United States without a parent or legal guardian and who do not hold legal immigration status. Typically, arriving UCs are placed into a network of shelters that are run by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Shelter care providers offer temporary homes and services, including educational, […]
Part 4 of USCRI’s Series: In Search of Safety
“We really need to be listening to children. With all kids, regardless of circumstances, spend some time to really hear them and that will be the safety and stability that they need in order to get the help they deserve.” Marie Olenych, Director of Trafficking and Human Services, USCRI. On this week’s installment of USCRI’s […]
Part 3 of USCRI’s Series: In Search of Safety
On this week’s installment of USCRI's "In Search of Safety" Facebook Live Series, Vice President AnnaMarie Bena talks to Managing Attorney Hila Moss about her work overseeing USCRI's Legal Services Program and the process to help Unaccompanied Children navigate the immigration system. USCRI has been serving immigrants by providing legal services since 1911. The Immigration [...]
Part 2 of USCRI’s Series: In Search of Safety
This week’s conversation about unaccompanied children is about the essential services provided by USCRI’s Center for Refugee and Immigrant Children (CRIC) following their release to parents and guardians. Vice President AnnaMarie Bena talks to Director Matt Haygood about the post-release needs of unaccompanied children on their immigration journey. In 2005, USCRI began providing services to […]
The Journey of Unaccompanied Children through the U.S. Immigration System
In March of this year, 15,918 children from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador crossed into the U.S. at our southern border—the highest number of children since we began collecting data in 2010. Although this number has dropped in recent months, the children who have made this long and dangerous crossing without their parents are of […]
Case Management for Unaccompanied Children in ORR Care
The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) operates the Unaccompanied Children’s Program to serve children from non-contiguous countries who arrive without a parent and do not have legal immigration status. Since 2002, the UC Program has served more than 400,000 children. ORR serves children via a national network of shelters who provide care for children in […]
