Currently, Vera staff oversee programs at 17 nonprofit agencies that provide legal assistance to children throughout the country. At each site, children receive:

• Know Your Rights Orientations. Providers give group or individual presentations to newly arrived children at detention facilities prior to each child’s first court appearance, which teach the children about their rights while in detention and the immigration court process

• Individual Screenings. Providers meet individually with all unaccompanied children to identify their legal needs and provide additional education about their rights and immigration law

• Pro Bono Assistance and Referrals. Providers recruit, train, and mentor pro bono attorneys who provide legal representation to the children

• Coordinated Services. Providers communicate with detention facility caseworkers, ORR staff, child welfare practitioners, and immigration authorities about unaccompanied children’s needs and issues

Why We Need This Program
Each year, thousands of children fleeing war and poverty enter the United States unaccompanied by an adult or separated from their parents or legal guardians. Although many of them meet conditions that would allow them to remain in the country legally, going through immigration proceedings without legal help is daunting. The Homeland Security Act requires the Office of Refugee Resettlement to ensure that qualified and independent legal counsel is appointed for each unaccompanied child in its custody in a timely manner. To meet this requirement, ORR contracted with the Vera Institute in 2005 to manage the Unaccompanied Children Pro Bono Project, which is developing and testing ways to meet the legal needs of unaccompanied children.

For more information about this program, contact Anne Marie Mulcahy.