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Unaccompanied Children Program

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The Unaccompanied Children Program coordinates a nationwide effort to increase volunteer, or pro bono, legal representation for immigrant children with no parents or adult guardians to assist them as they undergo removal (deportation) proceedings. These children may be fleeing poverty, war, or other dangerous circumstances on their own, or they may have lost contact with an adult along the way. They are held in shelters or detention centers across the United States which are run by the Division of Unaccompanied Children’s Services, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).

Expert

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    Susan Shah
    Director, Unaccompanied Children Program

Currently, Vera staff oversee 16 nonprofit agencies that provide legal assistance to children in Chicago, New York City, Miami, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Oregon, and at four sites in Texas—Harlingen, San Antonio/Corpus Christi, Houston, and El Paso. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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 program director Susan Shah.