clinical social work association

June 26, 2019

Though I have not been sending the voluminous posts that I was sending last summer, the issue of immigrant children who are separated from their families, given inadequate housing, and denied basic care is one that CSWA is carefully tracking. Here is some information that will keep you up to date and provide options on how to stop these injustices. There are currently between 1000 and 3000 immigrant children in the US separated from their parents; some older (8 and up) children are being forced to care for younger children.

Summary of Harm – this article is a good summary of the current issues: https://time.com/5613435/government-moves-migrant-kids-border-inadequate-shelter/

Agencies for Immigrant Children –Here are some good agencies that are working to improve the conditions of immigrant children and reunite them with their families:

Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) works to ensure that no child appears in immigration court alone without representation.

Women’s Refugee Commission offers Resources for Families Facing Deportation and Separation in English and Spanish.

Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights advocates for the safety and well-being of unaccompanied kids arriving in the United States. They recently announced a project specifically dedicated to helping children separated from their parents at the border.

Donations to Help – here is one of many organizations that are using donations to help immigrant children: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/borderfamilies2019?refcode=20190624esborderd&link_id=0&can_id=1dd38bb56c3bb701463ff79392bbbcf5&source=email-this-is-not-immigration-policy-it-is-inhumane-and-cruel&email_referrer=email_569843&email_subject=this-is-not-immigration-policy-it-is-inhumane-and-cruel

Let me know if you have any questions.

- Laura Groshong, LICSW, CSWA Director of Policy and Practice, Government Relations Chair