Despite our relentless advocacy, the Department of Justice has refused to halt hearings and continues to endanger lives. Please join us in demanding an immediate halt to all immigration courts.
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We join our allies in immigrant and children's rights organizations in calling for an immediate halt to all immigration court proceedings, including and especially those impacting children, unless there is an urgent need for the hearing.
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“Immigration court hearings are incredibly challenging for children in government custody, many of whom don’t have attorneys or Child Advocates. They become unreasonably and unacceptably unfair when they take place by video. We join other children’s rights organizations and allies in demanding an immediate end to this practice.”
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Seeking asylum is a right. People seeking safety at our border should be allowed into the country to pursue their case for protection. Today was an important step in that direction and toward restoring a degree of humanity and legality to our immigration system.
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Today the Trump administration's expansion of the travel ban, also known as the Muslim ban, goes into effect. The policy adds immigration and travel restrictions for people from six more countries including Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar.
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In these video hearings, at the “tent courts” at the border and around the country, children see the judge on a TV screen and won’t have a chance to be in the same room as the judge evaluating their claim. These hearings rob everyone of due process, and they rob children of the chance to be seen as children.
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Drawing and poetry by David, a teenager from Central America who hopes to be released from government custody and reunited with his family, while he asks our courts for protection from life-threatening violence in his home country. David Shared that his drawing inspired his “rhyme” and that he is excited for people to see and experience them together.
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Young Center Board member Frances de Pontes Peebles writes about what she witnessed when she visited immigration court in the after-math of the "zero-tolerance" policy that led to the forced separation of thousands of families.
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Last week, a team of four Young Center staff spent three days in the refugee community of 2,000+ people currently trapped in Matamoros, Mexico. We were shocked by the living conditions asylum-seekers are forced to tolerate due to this administration’s policies, including the Remain in Mexico Program.
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“We’re honored to have supported Ariel and helped reunify him with his loving father. But our work to end unlawful and unnecessary family separation continues. We see more cases of unjustified family separation every week,” Young Center-New York’s Managing Attorney Priscilla Monico Marín said about continued family separation.
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Self-care is how we preserve and strengthen ourselves. As advocates, self-care is an investment in our collective vision of a more just, humane world. Here are some self-care tips for the holidays from Young Center social workers Tami Benchoam Rogers and Hannah Biskind.
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Young Center Child Advocates have worked with hundreds of separated children. On average, they are younger than 7 years old. In nearly every case, the reason for the separation had nothing to do with the child’s safety and ultimately harmed the child.
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On Tuesday, December 10th at 12:00pm CST (1:00pm EST) Young Center staff held a webinar to speak about how the Remain in Mexico and Transit ban policies have changed our work and what we’re doing to fight back.
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Young Center’s Child Advocate Program Director Gladis Molina Alt spoke at the National Conference on Representation and Advocacy for Unaccompanied Immigrant Children held by Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) and the American Bar Association (ABA) in Houston, Texas. Her speech touched on her own journey as an undocumented immigrant, an attorney, and an advocate for immigrant children as well as the power of restorative relationships and in healing from trauma.
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Young Center Child Advocates have been appointed to multiple children whose parents remain in MPP, while their children are here. They have witnessed first-hand the harm of these separations on loving families. We urge Congress and the public to demand an immediate end to the MPP program. Until then, federal policy must prohibit using MPP for any family members separated from children.
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The Randy Tunac Courage in Immigration Award, named after a dedicated defender of human rights, celebrates those who have contributed to the legal immigration profession, served immigrant communities through advocacy, and brought awareness to pressing immigration issues.
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We are inspired by Gabriel. He escaped violence, survived labor trafficking, and made his way to safety.
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“Over the last few years, our perspective has grown and we’ve realized we have to do everything possible to foster more compassion and empathy in this world. History’s being written right now. We’re grateful to give back to an organization who gives voice to so many.” -Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.
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Ending a policy of prompt Employment Authorization Document (EAD) is harmful—for these young people, their families, and their communities.
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Thirty years ago, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child (Convention) to provide vital legal protections to children around the world. The Convention provides safeguards to protect children from human rights abuses such as trafficking, violence, and persecution.
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