FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Thursday, October 27, 2022 

Media Contact: Anabel Mendoza | amendoza@theyoungcenter.org 

Washington D.C. —Today, the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights is thrilled to announce the launch of our newest program aimed at improving the outcomes for immigrant children caught in state child welfare and juvenile detention systems. The Technical Assistance Program, co-directed by the Young Center’s Kelly Albinak Kribs and Shaina Simenas, offers culturally sensitive and trauma-informed case consultations and training to professionals and court advocates serving immigrant children in state court systems. 

Immigrant children who are caught between the federal immigration system and state court systems often lack access to the multidisciplinary support and resources they need to effectively maneuver state child welfare and juvenile detention systems without jeopardizing the integrity of their family unit, their safety and well-being, or the outcome of their immigration case. By offering guidance and support directly to the professionals and court advocates serving immigrant children across these state court systems, the Technical Assistance Program strives to bridge this information gap and build the capacity of agencies and advocates to navigate the inevitable complexities that arise when immigrant children are involved in multiple legal systems. 

Kelly Albinak Kribs, Co-Director of the Young Center’s Technical Assistance Program and immigration attorney, said: 

"The child welfare and juvenile justice systems, while flawed across the board, especially fail immigrant children and their families. At the Young Center, we have seen cases where immigrant parents whose children are wound up in the child welfare system are kept in the dark about where their child is, given legal paperwork in a language they can neither read or speak, and have even had their parental rights terminated by state courts without notice. These state level systems can be impenetrable for immigrant children and their families and continue to pose uniquely complex challenges that require intersectional, creative, and individualized advocacy. The Technical Assistance Program was designed to work alongside advocates and stakeholders who are eager to support immigrant children at risk of falling through the gaps of our country’s federal and state level legal systems so that they have the best potential to be reunited with family and remain with their community.” 

Shaina Simenas, Co-Director of the Young Center’s Technical Assistance Program and social worker, said: 

“Immigrant children are far too often placed into federal and state level systems and forced to navigate tremendous barriers with little to no support. As it stands today, state level systems treat immigrant children and their loved ones inequitably and fail to consider the impact decisions made at the state level will have on a child’s federal immigration case and permanency. No child or family should ever face the risk of being separated from each other or deported simply because decisionmakers on their case had insufficient information and access to resources. By bridging gaps in understanding and supporting connections to resources, the Technical Assistance Program’s collaboration with state court stakeholders can have a profound and lasting impact on a child’s well-being, family unity, cultural connection, and permanency.” 

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The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights is a non-profit organization that protects and advances the rights and best interests of immigrant children and advocates for an immigration system that treats children as children first. For press inquiries, please contact Anabel Mendoza at amendoza@theyoungcenter.org