Imagine you are a child, living in armed conflict when suddenly explosions fill your community and destruction surrounds you—you flee—and as people scatter, screaming and running for safety, you lose sight of your parents in the chaos. Home is gone and so is your family. Imagine you are a child, and severe drought has gripped […]
Tag: Unaccompanied Children
Chapter 2: The Flores Saga, a 20-Year Retrospective of the Unaccompanied Children’s Program in the U.S.
The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) and The Children’s Village present chapter two 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 […]
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 U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021: USCRI Analysis
The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) presents the following bill analysis of the U.S. Citizenship Act (USCA) of 2021. The Administration sent the USCA to Congress on January 20, 2021. On February 18, 2021, Representative Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA-38) and Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) introduced the USCA. Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19), Lucille Roybal-Allard […]
Policy Recommendations to Improve the Protection and Care for Unaccompanied Children
Thousands of refugee and immigrant children come to the United States alone or with their families each year, many having fled life-threatening dangers in their countries of origin. In fiscal year (FY) 2019, more than 69,000 unaccompanied children entered the custody of the U.S. federal government. Unaccompanied children (UCs) are under 18 years old, have […]
Safe Processing and Transport of Arriving Unaccompanied Children in a Public Health Emergency
Overview At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an order to limit entry at the U.S. southern border. The CDC invoked a comprehensive quarantine power based in an expansive reading of Title 42 of U.S. Code[1]—added in the 1940s—to override protections that Congress explicitly required, such […]
Unaccompanied Children, UC Care Providers, and Planning for the End of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Since the outset of the pandemic, care providers have worked diligently to maintain the health and safety of the unaccompanied children (UCs) in their care. COVID-19 hit congregate-care facilities especially hard, which meant that staff had to adjust to changing practices around exposures and maintaining safety, emerging best-practices based on new information, new protocols, and […]
