U.S. Protection of Immigrant Children: A system in Need of Improvement

Released by Prof. Lenni Benson at the World Refugee Day Panels and Press Conference, this report discusses the problems in the adjudication of protection claims for unaccompanied minors and makes a series of recommendations.

Key findings include an over six month delay for children’s asylum decisions despite the Asylum Office announcement of prioritization, the lack of published guidelines and procedures that ensure child appropriate asylum interviews, and the need for the federal government to grant deferred action, parole, or Temporary Protected Status to children who have secured state court orders of guardianship or custody and a finding that is not in the child’s best interest to be returned to his or her country of origin.

This last recommendation is essential because children from the Northern Triangle countries who have received these state court findings are now stuck in a queue due to visa quotas set by Congress.

While the statutes offer protection to these youth, many children are stuck half way through the adjudication without immediate ability to terminate their deportation hearings nor to receive work authorization.

The report in its entirety can be found here: COMING SOON!.