Immigration

By Wendy Young Imagine a 12-year-old girl arriving alone at the U.S. border, desperate for safety. She is fleeing a gang member in Central America who had raped her and was threatening her with death unless she became his “girlfriend.” 

By John Kelly The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced last week that it would expand the list of federal funding streams that exclude most undocumented immigrants, including several programs related to child welfare.

Authors argue that child welfare systems should be prepared to assist in supporting family unity if and when deportations increase.

The Trump administration has put a halt on free legal help to unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the United States, prompting pleas to reinstate that assistance. 

Many immigrant children in Chicago are too anxious to go to school, fearing their parents will be deported.

Swift deportation leaves a family separated, with 8-and 14-year-old boys still in Arizona, and a community working to connect them.

ICE official Mellissa Harper has been tapped to lead the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Her hire has concerned experts and advocates that information about children and their families could be shared for arrests and deportations.

This summer, the California Surgeon General’s Office is set to debut a youth-trauma-informed training video for K-12 teachers.

By Shaina Aber, Megan Mack and Erica Bryant