Every year, thousands of children fleeing war, violence, poverty, and other extreme conditions enter the United States alone, without a parent or guardian. Some of these children are very young, most have little or no formal education, and few speak English. To remain in the United States, they must meet certain legal requirements. However, even though the American Bar Assocation advises that all unaccompanied children have a right to an attorney to represent them in formal immigration proceedings, in practice few of these children have access to legal help.
For the approximately 7,000 children per year in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s Division of Unaccompanied Children Services (DUCS), going through immigration proceedings without legal representation is both intimidating and extremely difficult. Vera is therefore working with DUCS to help a select group of non-profit organizations across the nation develop and implement local pro bono—or volunteer attorney—programs to help children in DUCS custody.
Many of these children meet conditions that would allow them to remain in the United States. For example, they may be eligible for asylum; special visas for children who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned by the parents or guardian; special visas for victims of severe forms of trafficking and other types of criminal violence; or adjustment of status for those who have a legal resident or citizen family member.
By building the target organizations’ capacities to run volunteer attorney programs—providing them with technical assistance, overseeing the implementation of each organization’s pro bono program, and conducting evaluations to find more effective ways of providing assistance—Vera staff will help increase the number of children who receive high quality legal representation. The ultimate goal of Vera’s outreach program is to help these children with the necessary support as they undergo the immigration process, so that they do not go through it alone.