APRIL 2015
SUMMIT REPORT ON CENTRAL AMERICAN CHILDREN SEEKING REFUGE A W AS HING TON, D C REGIONAL RESPONSE TO SUPPORT CHILDREN FLEEING VIOLENCE
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SUMMIT REPORT ON CENTRAL AMERICAN CHILDREN SEEKING REFUGE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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The DC-‐MD-‐VA Coalition in Support of Children Fleeing Violence in Central America would like to thank the summit conveners for their leadership in organizing this much needed gathering and assembling this report. We are deeply grateful to the below mentioned individuals and organizations that, in a grassroots spirit, mobilized their resources to plan and carry out the Summit on Children Seeking Refuge. Abel Nuñez (CARECEN) Ana Negoescu (CARECEN) Sarah Block (Ayuda) Eric Macias (LAYC/MMYC) Suyanna Barker (La Clínica Del Pueblo) Diana Guelespe (Georgetown University Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service) Marcy Campos (American University Center for Community Engagement and Service) Beth Perry Fani Cruz (Catholic Charities USA) Maryland State Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez Sarah Palazzolo Ana María Delgado CARECEN interns Massiel Perez and Stefanie Moran provided important support with event logistics and registration, and centralized information for this report. We would like to acknowledge the DC Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs for their continued support of direct services and advocacy on behalf of Central American children who flee violence in their home countries and make the District of Columbia their new home. Thanks are also due to Dean Katherine S. Broderick of the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law who graciously hosted the summit and Jenn Laskin from the UDC National Lawyers Guild who was instrumental in helping us secure the space for the summit and Coalition meetings free of charge. The event was broadcasted live by Marvin Contreras of tvesamerica.com. The two panelists, Alexis Stoumbelis (CISPES-‐DC) and Abel Nuñez (CARECEN) discussed historic causes of migration of Central American children, current policy context and needed advocacy. In addition, the Coalition is deeply grateful for the important contributions made by the following group discussion facilitators, who are expert practitioners in their fields and who provided structure to the group dialogue, guided the discussion and ensured that each group had an effective and fruitful conversation during the summit. The note takers provided us with a summary of each facilitated group discussion for this report.
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EDUCATION Facilitators: Melvin William, ESOL Chair, Prince George’s County Public Schools, Northwestern High School Maria Alejandra Salas Baltuano, SMART-‐DC Education Organizer, Many Languages One Voice Note-‐takers: Alexis Stoumbelis, CISPES HEALTH Facilitators: Alicia Wilson, Executive Director, La Clínica Del Pueblo Jessica Schroeder, MD, Medical Director Adams Morgan Site, Mary’s Center Note-‐takers: Ilana Nagib, La Clínica Del Pueblo MENTAL HEALTH Facilitator: Viviana Azar, Director of Clinical Services, YMCA Youth & Family Services Note-‐takers: Catalina Sol, Chief Programs Officer, La Clínica del Pueblo BEYOND THE CLASSROOM Facilitators: Luis Cardona, Montgomery County Youth Violence Prevention Coordinator, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services Rachel Gittinger, Citizenship and Leadership Coordinator, CARECEN Note-‐takers: Sarah Palazzolo LEGAL SERVICES Facilitators: Sarah Block, Program Initiatives Coordinator, Ayuda Rebecca Walters, Staff Attorney (Falls Church, VA office, Ayuda) Note-‐Takers: Elizabeth Lincoln, KIND Dulce Sotelo, CARECEN SOCIAL SERVICES Facilitators: Br. Steve Herro, Manager of Mission Resources and Data, Catholic Charities USA Jasmin Benab, Youth Violence Outreach Response Manager, Collaborative Solutions for Communities Note-‐takers: Diana Guelespe, Georgetown University Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service
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This report was written based on the group discussion notes and post-‐summit evaluation survey responses, and was edited by: Kate Paarlberg-‐Kvam, Sarah Block, Beth Perry, Marcy Campos, Eric Macias, and Ana Negoescu. Kayla Corcoran, Communications Specialist at Georgetown University’s Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service, contributed her creative talent and designed the report. In addition to their staff time and resources, the following organizations contributed to expenses related to editing, printing and release of this report: Ayuda, CARECEN, La Clínica del Pueblo, Latin American Youth Center (LAYC), and Mary’s Center. A copy of this report is available online at http://www.caracendc.org/resources/SummitReport2015 Please direct any inquiries regarding this report to: Abel Nuñez, CARECEN 1460 Columbia Road NW, Suite C-‐1 Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-‐9799
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TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY II. INTRODUCTION A. THE COALITION B. THE SUMMIT ON CHILDREN SEEKING REFUGE III. KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS A. OVERARCHING CHALLENGES B. PROMISING PRACTICES 1. Education 2. Legal Services 3. Social Services 4. Beyond the Classroom 5. Health 6. Mental Health C. OVERARCHING RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Providers’ Professional Recommendations 2. Providers’ Outreach and Accessibility Recommendations 3. Policy-‐related Recommendations D. AREA-‐SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Education 2. Legal Services 3. Social Services 4. Beyond the Classroom 5. Health 6. Mental Health IV. APPENDICES Appendix 1: Press Coverage of Efforts and Actions of the DC-‐MD-‐VA Coalition in Support Children Fleeing Violence in Central America Appendix 2: Fact Sheet of Children Seeking Refuge Appendix 3: Resources Appendix 4: List of Participating Organizations Appendix 5: What Attendees Are Saying About the Summit
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IV. ENDNOTES V. PHOTO CAPTIONS CREDITS
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I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In the summer of 2014, the U.S. Border Patrol apprehended over 68,000 unaccompanied minors from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador who crossed into the United States after fleeing the endemic violence (gangs, drug cartels, state-‐armed actors, and household abuse), social exclusion, corruption, and institutional incapacity in their home countries.1 In the past year, over 7,000 of the children detained at our southern border have been relocated to the Washington Metropolitan Area by the Office of Refugee Resettlement.2 They are now a part of our communities and face an acute need for coordinated, highly individualized services to address their immigration status, education, health and wellness, trauma and stress, and other identified needs. This report by the DC-‐MD-‐VA Coalition in Support of Children Fleeing Violence in Central America (the Coalition) summarizes the presentations, experiences, views and recommendations shared by over 100 professionals who attended the Summit on Children Seeking Refuge, held on January 22, 2015 at the University of the District of Columbia Law School in Washington, D.C. The summit brought together teachers, social workers, medical professionals, counselors and therapists, advocates and organizers, faculty and researchers, local and state government representatives, attorneys, and elected officials who serve children seeking refuge and who engaged in facilitated group discussions. The groups were organized around six main areas of service: legal, education, health, mental health, beyond-‐the-‐classroom (after-‐school and recreational programming), and social services. This publication makes three important contributions: (1) it draws attention to gaps and challenges in the provision of services to immigrant children; (2) it identifies promising practices thus far; and (3) it puts forth recommendations for improvements in services. With this report, the Coalition aims to: • Provide succinct background information about the migration of unaccompanied children from Central America, including historical context and relevant policies; • Encourage collaboration across agencies that serve immigrant children and families; • Inform future advocacy for an expansion of services based on the challenges identified, and contribute to a knowledge base for new and improved laws at municipal and state levels; • Share educational and technical resources to aid professionals who work directly with the children; and • Promote promising practices among service providers to improve existing services. In analyzing the input from participants in the group discussion, the Coalition identified seven main obstacles to receiving services faced by the children seeking refuge and their families: • Limited English proficiency; • Lack of understanding of the steps involved in case management (i.e. intake, appointments, follow-‐up, etc.); • Misinformation regarding what legal remedies are available;
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• Limited financial resources; • Difficulty in providing necessary documentation to enroll in school or health insurance (where available); • A high risk of gang or drug network involvement; • Trauma caused by the dangerous journey; and • Stress caused by family reunification after a long separation. Service providers face a host of challenges as well, including: • Insufficient bilingual and bi-‐cultural staff; • Inadequate training and insufficient professional development opportunities for existing staff of service agencies; • A lack of cultural awareness and knowledge of migration issues among staff; • The limitations of immigration laws; • Insufficient funding and limited budgets; • Limited youth-‐centered and youth-‐driven programming; and • A tendency to use a one-‐size-‐fits-‐all approach to service provision. The key recommendations detailed in this report are based on the promising practices shared by members of organizations present at the summit, and include: • Increase training opportunities for staff who have major contact with the children; • Recruit more bilingual and bicultural staff; • Establish child advocate or navigator programs to help guide children and families through specific services and promote coordination of services; • Conduct culturally adequate outreach and in-‐language advertisement; • Create a platform to network, coordinate, share resources, recruit volunteers, mobilize/organize in support of the children, and develop advocacy and funding strategies; • Advocate for language access laws where they do not exist, and ensure their enforcement; • Collaborate with academic institutions to analyze data to determine gaps in services and inform future funding requests; and • Create a uniform intake process across agencies.
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II. INTRODUCTION
During 2014, an unprecedented 68,000 Central American children were detained at the United States-‐Mexico border as a result of social exclusion, violence (gangs, drug cartels, state-‐armed actors, and household abuse), corruption, and institutional incapacity in the Northern Triangle region (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras). Our region received an estimated 7,000 unaccompanied minors – approximately 15% of the total number of youth that arrived to the U.S. this year – due to the sizeable Central American community already present in our area. Most of the youth that came to this area were united with a family member.
Major towns where children detained from Jan. 1 to May 14, 2015 came from
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SUMMIT REPORT ON CENTRAL AMERICAN CHILDREN SEEKING REFUGE
A . T HE C O AL IT IO N During the summer months of 2014, different community actors in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area (DMV) decided to come together and discuss the surge in unaccompanied minors arriving to the United States. As a result, the DC-‐MD-‐VA Coalition in Support of Children Fleeing Violence in Central America was created. The Coalition’s vision was to create a plan to ease the impact of the humanitarian crisis, particularly for the youth and families in our region. The group brought together public officials, not-‐for-‐profit organizations, educational institutions, and concerned community members and met frequently to discuss ways in which we could advocate and provide needed services to newly arrived children. Since that time, our Coalition has been proactive in supporting unaccompanied minors through concerted efforts to pressure municipal and state governments, inspired by our belief that protecting children and vulnerable families should be a main priority of our society.3
“ H a y m u c ha vio le ncia en m i paí s, m atand o ge nte . L a d if i cu l ta d d e l a p re se nci a d e l os ga ng s, y tam bi é n mi papá l e es ta ba pe ga nd o a m i m a m á .” “ The r e i s too m u c h vio le nce in m y co u ntr y; p eop le be i ng k il le d . Th er e i s a p re se nce o f ga n gs, and m y f athe r w as hi tti ng m y m oth er .” – 1 3-‐ ye ar-‐ol d G u a tem a l an you th
The Coalition began a call-‐to-‐action campaign to increase the visibility of this issue and increase support for the youth arriving from Central America. The Coalition hosted weekly vigils in front of the White House from July to November of 2014. This community mobilization and advocacy effort was centered on four important demands:
1) The prompt release of children from detention centers around the country where they faced inhumane conditions; 2) The provision of legal representation for all children to ensure due process and protection of their human rights; 3) A halt to the expedited deportation of children; and 4) The prompt reunification of families.
Furthermore, leaders from the DC-‐MD-‐VA Coalition are part of an ongoing dialogue with policymakers and Administration officials and have participated in meetings hosted by the White House. The Coalition has issued press releases and worked with the media to draw attention to the issue of children fleeing violence in Central America.
Lastly, the DC-‐MD-‐VA Coalition in Support of Children Fleeing Violence in Central America hosted a Summit in Washington, D.C. to inform and discuss the status of our efforts as an organized community, six months after the influx of unaccompanied minors to the region and the formation of the Coalition.
SUMMIT REPORT ON CENTRAL AMERICAN CHILDREN SEEKING REFUGE
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B . T HE SU MM IT O N C H IL D R E N S EE K IN G R E F U G E In a grassroots effort, The Summit on Children Seeking Refuge was organized by a committed group of individuals and organizations, members of the DC-‐MD-‐VA Coalition in Support of Children Fleeing Violence in Central America. The intent of this group was to create a space in which members of the Coalition, activists, direct service providers, academics, advocacy organizations, government officials, and concerned community members could discuss challenges faced by the children and service providers in the past six to eight months; share promising practices in regards to serving newly arrived children; identify gaps in services for youth and families that need to be addressed; call attention to the need for additional resources to improve existing services; and lastly, brainstorm initiatives and issue recommendations to continue to improve the youth’s lives now that they are part of our communities. To achieve these goals during the summit, we created the following format: first, two panelists explained the historical context of Central American children’s and families’ migration patterns to the United States and articulated some of the current policies affecting unaccompanied children once they have entered in the United States. The panel helped contextualize the conversations that followed in the different facilitated discussion breakout groups. There were six groups formed around the following areas of service: legal services, social services, health, mental health, education, and beyond-‐the-‐classroom. Two facilitators in each group helped guide a productive conversation about challenges, successful practice models, and recommendations to overcome obstacles faced both by service providers and youth seeking refuge from violence in Central America. After the ninety-‐minute group session, each group provided a brief overview highlighting the main points of their conversation.
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II. K EY F INDINGS & RECOMMENDATIONS The f ollowing s ections compile t he k ey f indings and recommendations t hat s temmed f rom t he d iscussions i n t he breakout g roups d uring t he S ummit o n C entral A merican Children S eeking R efuge. F indings a nd r ecommendations include t hose p ertinent t o t wo m ain audiences: p roviders and children s eeking refuge ( CSR), 4 a s w ell as t heir f amilies. I t should b e k ept i n m ind t hat a ll p oints m ade w ere aiming f or a common g oal – t he s afety and w ell-‐being o f C SR a nd t heir families. Many o f t hese f indings and r ecommendations are based o n w hat h as w orked i n a s pecific c ommunity. W e w ere fortunate t o r eceive b road i nput f rom d ifferent d isciplines, backgrounds, s chools, and o rganizations, w hich m eans t hat what m ay w ork i n o ne community m ay n ot w ork i n a nother – but i t m ay n evertheless s park i deas f or t he creation o f initiatives t hat w ill be s uccessful.
A . O V E RA R C H IN G C H AL L EN G E S
What follows are the core issues that formed the discussion at the summit, which may have implications for the groups’ recommendations and the future. These include: A lack of adequate training and a need for stronger professional development that prepares people to work with CSR. Judges, lawyers, teachers, mental health and health care professionals, though trained in their fields, are not necessarily prepared to provide culturally competent services for CSR or the immigrant population in general. There is a critical need for training for all practitioners providing direct assistance to CSR on the root causes of their migration, their immigrant experience, as well as the trauma, stress and depression they endure when they arrive. The shortage of trained professionals indicates a need to recruit volunteers to provide pro bono services, while at the same time understanding that some needs cannot be fulfilled by volunteers. For example, while there has been interest from pro bono lawyers, they often lack specialized knowledge required to represent youth. Training others is time-‐consuming and takes time away from expert attorneys with already full caseloads. A lack of bilingual and bicultural professionals to address the need for services and supports. A second major challenge is the insufficient number of bilingual and bicultural staff among service providers. Often, potentially qualified applicants are turned away due to the automatic screening process that eliminates applicants based on predetermined words and phrases used as the
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qualifying criteria. Frequently, for example, hiring personnel overlook those who do not have specific degrees, and thus failing to take advantage of years of experience in a certain field. Additionally, the high cost of licensure and masters’ degree programs often prevents potential applicants from entering either the teaching or social service professions. There is a need for bilingual and bicultural staff throughout institutional structures. Examples include a serious lack of trained legal interpreters or bilingual staff, such as clerks in immigration courts, school security guards, and main office staff. This results in an inability to communicate important information, increases stress and tension, and may give the false impression that the student or family is either not listening, not following instructions, or even that they do not care. Inaccessibility of services. This challenge was identified in the majority of the breakout groups. Many service providers conduct inadequate outreach or have limited publicity in Spanish, resulting in families not receiving information needed to obtain services. For example, many families are not familiar with Early Childhood Services. According to the DC Language Access Act of 2004, Limited English Proficient (LEP) and Non English Proficient (NEP) individuals have the right to access government services in a language they are proficient in, through live or phone interpretation and translation of essential documents. Although this law exists in the District of Columbia, it could be strengthened and better enforced. The Language Access for Education Amendment Act of 2015, currently in the D.C. City Council, seeks to amend the aforementioned law to address the lack of ESL-‐certified staff in schools with a significant population of English Language Learners. The weaknesses of the D.C. Language Access Act and the absence of policies in Maryland and Virginia result in families not gaining access to needed services. Language access is vital, and participants in our discussions specifically identified the need to have access to indigenous languages, as well as Spanish. Untrained frontline staff members have requested inappropriate information, such as Social Security numbers (which CSR generally do not have, at least not when they first arrive) in order to register a child for school. An exorbitant amount of paperwork is needed to enroll in school, in a health clinic, or to receive mental health services. Families often do not return to access these essential services if they are unable to provide the
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PAGE 8 “ Y o n o c o n o c í a m i m a m á . L a c o n o c í c u a n d o t e n í a o n c e a ñ o s ; e l l a l l e g ó a E l S a l v a d o r a v i s i t a r m e . Y a m i p a p á t a m p o c o , a m i p a p á l o c o n o c í c u a n d o v i n e [ … ] C u a n d o v i n e a c á , f u e d i f e r e n t e p o r q u e c o n l a q u e y o m e c r i é f u e m i a b u e l a . E n t o n c e s — d e j a r l a a e l l a f u e m u y f e o . Y l u e g o v e n i r a c á [ … ] E n t o n c e s c o n [ m i h e r m a n a ] s í t e n í a m u c h a c o n f i a n z a . P e r o c o n m i m a m á , n u n c a h a b í a v i v i d o c o n e l l a . E n t o n c e s f u e [ … ] ¿ c ó m o v a a s e r e s o ? ¿ c ó m o l o m a n e j o ? ¿ q u é h a g o ? ¿ c ó m o m e d e b o c o m p o r t a r c o n e l l a ? ” “ I h a d n e v e r m e t m y m o m . I m e t h e r w h e n I w a s e l e v e n ; s h e c a m e t o E l S a l v a d o r t o v i s i t m e . A n d m y d a d e i t h e r , I m e t h i m w h e n I c a m e . W h e n I g o t h e r e , i t w a s d i f f e r e n t b e c a u s e t h e p e r s o n w h o r a i s e d m e w a s m y g r a n d m o t h e r . S o l e a v i n g h e r b e h i n d w a s h o r r i b l e . A n d t h e n c o m i n g h e r e [ … ] S o w i t h [ m y s i s t e r ] I h a d a g o o d r e l a t i o n s h i p . B u t w i t h m y m o t h e r , I h a d n e v e r l i v e d w i t h h e r . S o i t w a s l i k e , w h a t i s t h i s g o i n g t o b e l i k e ? H o w s h o u l d I n a v i g a t e t h i s ? W h a t d o I d o ? H o w s h o u l d I b e h a v e a r o u n d h e r ? ” – 1 6 y e a r o l d y o u n g w o m a n f r o m E l S a l v a d o r
SUMMIT REPORT ON CENTRAL AMERICAN CHILDREN SEEKING REFUGE
information requested because they fear the repercussions of not producing requested documents. Processes of enrollment, documentation, and bureaucracy are very different from those in clinics used by families in their countries of origin. Sometimes families incorrectly believe ICE (immigration) will be contacted and fear deportation if they complete all the paperwork requirements to gain access to services. Limited funding and budgets. Schools often lack sufficient funding to provide wraparound services which would positively affect CSR. Nonprofit organizations’ funding often depends on meeting specific outcomes, and as a result they may select youth who are less “at risk” to enroll in their programs in order to guarantee better results. Consequently, those who need the services most are not receiving them. Moreover, meeting the high demand for legal services far exceeds the availability of affordable and capable attorneys. Local health and mental health service providers are overwhelmed and there is inadequate funding and infrastructure to increase their capacity. Maryland and Virginia do not have health insurance available for undocumented immigrants, which makes it even harder for families to gain access to and pay for health care services because they are too expensive, with and without insurance. An unfortunate and dangerous consequence is that families can only gain access to medical care in emergencies and not for preventive services. Insufficient relevant support in English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. While we recognize the challenge of dealing with different educational levels, budgets, and staffing, ESL teachers need to be qualified to teach all subjects. Tutoring is available in some communities, but a lack of cultural awareness and experience working with immigrant communities makes it less effective. Sometimes students find homework too difficult to do on their own and there is insufficient help in the classroom. Many of the recently arrived students are reluctant learners due to the stress caused by their journeys and family circumstances. Stressful impact of family reunification. Many CSR are living with parents they have not seen in years, with new brothers and sisters they have never met, or are staying with extended family members they hardly know. After the initial joy of reunification, the stress of dropping into a family’s life after such a long absence, as well as the economic stress this new family member
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creates, can spark tension between CSR and family members. Often there is resentment after such a long separation. In cases of unsuccessful family reunification, there is a lack of support services to support homeless youth. LGBTQ persecution was also identified as an issue in some family reunifications. High risk of gang recruitment/involvement. There is a need to strategize about gang prevention and mediation. Better communication and coordination between schools, particularly in the same or a nearby neighborhood, could help prevent potential violence. For instance, schools should share information on known gang-‐related incidents and work together on a mediation plan, along with law enforcement and other relevant government agencies. Many CSR fled gang violence, forced recruitment and extortion. Although the level and type of gang activity in our region is different than in Central America, the fear and trauma that the youth experienced in the countries of origin does not go away quickly. In fact, it can be triggered by incidents of violence in the schools and community. Many of those who attend schools in the area have commented that though there is gang activity in the area, it is nothing like from where they fled. Though there is some isolated work in different schools and a few community agencies trying to address this, there is no unified coalition of thought and action. This negatively affects the young people’s transition, adjustment and ability to feel safe. Complexity of medical and mental health needs of CSR. Obtaining an accurate and complete health history is often very difficult. This affects the development of immediate and long-‐term health care plans and the accurate completion of required school forms. Health practitioners are dealing with injuries and illnesses that include anemia, STDs, sprained ankles, injuries from barbed wire, diabetes, high rates of chronic diseases not addressed in countries of origin, post-‐traumatic stress disorder, sleep disorders, lack of appetite, an inability to concentrate (especially among children), parasites, scabies, and lice. Lastly, young low-‐income immigrants also experience extreme fatigue from being exploited at their jobs. Similarly, there are barriers to meeting the mental health needs of CSR and their families. For instance, in Central America there is a strong stigma surrounding mental illness and using mental health services, which causes resistance among many youth and families who might consider seeking mental health services in the United States. Also, the current mental health system in the
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United States relies on a lengthy intake and diagnosis process, and rigid requirements for keeping appointments. Flexibility in providing services is essential for a population who has experienced extensive trauma, in order to provide holistic and timely support to young patients and their parents, guardians, and foster families. There are also logistical issues that limit CSR access to medical and mental health services, such as a lack of transportation, scheduling conflicts with schools, a lack of economic resources to afford these services, and limited support from family members. Discussions at the summit pointed that there are unique and serious issues experienced particularly by women and girls, which include violence, exploitation, and rape during the trip to the U.S. In addition, there have been reports of mothers’ male partners abusing younger women in the family. Women in particular, who are often waiting to be reunited with their children, report experiencing strong anxiety due to not knowing whether they will cross the border and will reach their final destination safely. Systemic limitations. Coordinating and prioritizing services presents a tremendous challenge to service providers due to the complexity of the issues being addressed and the uniqueness of each CSR and family. Health professionals, for example, understand the need for and urgency of other services—e.g. legal aid and school enrollment—but expressed concern about addressing patients’ immediate and long-‐term health and mental health needs. Legal professionals and others are frustrated with the limitations of the law; many children have compelling reasons to stay in the United States, as well as legitimate threats to their safety upon return to their home country, but do not qualify for any form of immigration relief under current law. In addition, some legal remedies are under threat of being eliminated, such as the critical protections in the Trafficking Victims Protections Reauthorization Act of 2008. There are also complications surrounding guardianship requirements in different jurisdictions. CSR that are granted Special Immigrant Juvenile Status are prohibited from applying for immigration relief for their parents and siblings. Obtaining asylum for those fleeing gang-‐based violence is also a challenge. Misinformation about legal remedies and options available has resulted in parents being afraid of going to immigration court, which only complicates the situation.
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B . PR O M IS IN G P R AC T I C ES During the facilitated group discussion, summit participants shared information about successful initiatives, programs, and practices that have been implemented in their communities and have aided in addressing the challenges outlined above. Participants were able to identify numerous specific interventions that have worked on a small scale and should be replicated, institutionalized, and integrated in various systems of service provision. What follows are some examples of promising practices, organized by area of service: 1. Education Training and professional development for teachers and staff • Prince George’s County Public Schools offer “Spanish for Educators” in a school-‐based setting, which they found to be more successful than if it were centralized. In addition to language skills, this training aims to build cultural awareness, provide information on different educational and family systems, and increase understanding to be able to address the severe trauma and stress that immigrant children and their families are experiencing. This initiative has been very successful and is being expanded. • Teaching for Change, a D.C. based non-‐profit working in D.C. Public Schools, has developed a training curriculum to provide the historical context of Central American immigration and build cultural awareness. The curriculum addresses the connection between family engagement and academic success, creating a welcoming school climate, cultural sharing and community building in schools, and much more. Their “Tellin’ Stories” project engages parents to provide teachers and school staff with firsthand knowledge about the realities of parents’ experiences of migration and the emotional consequences, stress, and trauma that those experiences cause. • Next Step Public Charter School in the District holds a weekly staff-‐led professional development session that provides the opportunity for staff to share their own backgrounds, knowledge, and experiences. • E.L. Haynes, a public charter school in D.C., has implemented a successful training on trauma and how to build a classroom climate that is consistent, calming, and caring for newcomer immigrant students. The school works closely with Mary’s Center and other providers to provide wraparound services to their students. • Some D.C. schools such as Bruce Monroe Elementary have invited non-‐profit legal providers to train teachers and staff in basic immigration law and legal options relevant for their students and their families, as well as general information about legal services and legal process. Parent Engagement and Resources • Montgomery County Public Schools implemented “climate-‐walkthroughs” in which a group of parents walk through the building, give feedback about whether they felt welcomed or whether they could read signs in the hallways, among other things. • Tellin’ Stories the parent organizing project of Teaching for Change, is based on popular
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education and has produced improved communication between parents and teachers by maintaining a high level of parent engagement, affirming their experiences rather than denying or ignoring them, and by working with the parents to build leadership and self-‐ advocacy skills. Teaching for Change also supports the school leadership and staff to find ways to meaningfully engage with the families and the community. Dozens of immigrant parents serve as volunteers in the school and are a major resource for teachers and staff. A signature activity of this project is Roving Readers, a parent initiative through which each participating parent reads in the classroom once a month, gaining the confidence and motivation to be involved in their child’s education. The book selection used for this activity promotes social justice, multiculturalism, and linguistic diversity. Fairfax County Public Schools has a bilingual curriculum on immigrant family reunification5 that focuses on normalization and stages of adjustment. They have also developed excellent, bilingual resources6 on family reunification for parents and schools such as: fact sheets, parent tips, list of recommended literature and films, and informational sheets on rights in the school system. Anne Arundel County has a team of bilingual staff assigned to specific schools and dedicated to engaging the families of CSR,7 assisting with school registration, explaining school programs, policies and procedures, conducting parent support workshops, etc. Baltimore City Public Schools has invested in headsets to provide simultaneous interpretation for large scale assemblies such as PTA meetings, orientations, or informational sessions for parents. One school, Patterson Park Public Charter School, also invested in their own headsets and indicated that they allow parents to sit where they want to and build relationships with other parents (rather than being segregated by language when they are forced to sit next to someone who can interpret for them). D.C. law requires interpretation to be made available at parent-‐teacher meetings, though as identified above, this is not consistently enforced. To mitigate this lack of language access in D.C. schools, in addition to continued advocacy for better enforcement of the law, discussion participants stressed the importance of personal relationships, and suggested that utilizing all Spanish-‐speaking staff to build relationships with students and families is an effective strategy. This enables teachers and staff to better understand the students’ experiences and academic needs.
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2. Legal Services Discussion participants pointed out that some members of the immigrant community seem to be increasingly comfortable with accessing and utilizing legal services. Due to frequent occurrences of exploitation of the low-‐income immigrant community, as well as the limited capacity of many service providers in the area, among other challenges, it is particularly important for members of the community to be informed about which legal service providers they can trust and how to access their services. Word of mouth and personal referrals continue to be the most prominent ways that community members share information among one another. Legal service providers agreed that the availability of legal navigation or child advocate programs, coupled with increased availability of social services in the area, make the process easier for both the clients and attorneys. Participants agreed there are some specific forms of relief that benefit CSR, such as Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) or asylum, and most of those who are able to obtain legal representation are granted relief. Even though under federal law children under 21 may qualify for SIJS, in Virginia and the District of Columbia youth are no longer eligible once they turn 18, due to the fact that state juvenile courts only have jurisdiction over children younger than 18. Thus, applicants who age out are not able to obtain the court order needed to submit to USCIS. In Maryland, as of last fall, the juvenile courts have jurisdiction over unmarried individuals younger than 21.8 Legal professionals are well aware of the limitations of the law and continue to advocate strongly for expanded legal options that would provide relief for the children and their families. In regards to the process of representing CSRs, most practitioners found that the time elapsed between release from detention facilities and the first date assigned to appear in immigration court was appropriate. Attorneys have found the majority of cases to be very difficult and require intensive work. 3. Social Services School Enrollment Schools in the District, as well as in Maryland and Virginia, are currently accepting Office of Refugee Resettlement paperwork
“ T h i s m o n t h i s m y s e c o n d y e a r a s a p e r m a n e n t r e s i d e n t . I t f e e l s g o o d t o h a v e a s e n s e o f f r e e d o m . I w a n t t o s h a r e t h a t i n D e c e m b e r I w i l l b e d o n e w i t h m y t w o y e a r s i n N O V A . T h e n , I a m t r a n s f e r r i n g t o G e o r g e M a s o n t o f i n i s h m y b a c h e l o r s a n d m a s t e r s d e g r e e i n e d u c a t i o n . I a m v e r y e x c i t e d ! I a m l i v i n g t h e d r e a m t o g o t o c o l l e g e a n d h a v e a c a r e e r . A l s o , I h a v e p l a n s t o t r a v e l t o E l S a l v a d o r n e x t y e a r t o v i s i t m y g r a n d m a b e c a u s e s h e i s v e r y o l d a n d I w o u l d l o v e t o s e e h e r f o r t h e l a s t t i m e b e f o r e s h e p a s s e s a w a y . T h a n k y o u s o m u c h f o r B E L I E V I N G i n m e . T h a n k y o u f o r y o u r h a r d w o r k . T h a n k y o u f o r e v e r y t h i n g . T h a n k g o d y o u a r e m y l a w y e r b e c a u s e y o u a r e a w e s o m e . ” -‐ A l e t t e r t o h e r l a w y e r f r o m a S a l v a d o r a n y o u t h w h o o b t a i n e d S p e c i a l I m m i g r a n t J u v e n i l e S t a t u s
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for required enrollment documentation. This is incredibly helpful since children arriving to the area after a long journey, and after being detained at the border, have minimal documentation available to present. Some social service providers have employed bilingual workers who specialize in school enrollment to guide families through this process. Specialized social services in schools (for example, based on immigration or housing needs) work well by “profiling” students and identifying case managers and counselors based on their needs. Strong relationships with ESL teachers or counselors at schools make provision of social services more effective. Having bilingual and bicultural staff offers another significant advantage to CSR. Youth-‐Centered and Youth-‐Driven Programs There are several high-‐quality youth programs and other after-‐school activities catering to CSR. These programs work best when academic support is complemented with personal enrichment, leadership, positive and meaningful opportunities for service, and structured recreational activities. CARECEN’s Youth Leadership Training provides weekly workshop modules for recently arrived immigrant students that culminate with a youth-‐driven service or advocacy project, and MLOV’s Summer Institute for Student Organizing, a 6-‐week summer program, trains ELL students attending D.C. Public Schools in youth organizing. Using youth promoters for outreach is also an effective strategy, as they can easily connect to their peers that need to access information and services. A good example is the Teen Health Promoter program at the Latin American Youth Center, in which youth are trained to be peer health educators. Gang Intervention Collaborative Solutions for Communities (CSC), formerly known as Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative, uses a multidisciplinary approach to reduce gang related violence by engaging high-‐risk youth and their families in results-‐oriented activities. CSC works to strengthen the Gang Intervention Partnership in the District of Columbia, a collaboration between several community-‐based organizations, neighborhood schools, government agencies and a special Metropolitan Police Department Gang Unit. CSC trains youth outreach workers to help resolve critical violent incidents in D.C. The outreach workers are concerned community members, at-‐risk youth or even former gang members who work with law enforcement to gather intelligence at the ground level in order to resolve a case quickly and provide necessary protections for the victims and their families who fear retaliation. CSC also pioneered a training curriculum for community partners in using Solution-‐Focused Brief Therapy and Family Group Decision Making, strategies used to assist
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high-‐risk youth to manage gang-‐related conflicts through deep family engagement. CSC also conducts advocacy and community education campaigns, and directs youth to positive development opportunities. Legal Issues Social workers feel empowered when they are trained in the basic options for legal immigration relief and know where to refer their clients for legal assistance. Strong relationships with legal service agencies, as well as hosting trainings and discussions about past successes with asylum and U-‐Visa cases (a type of visa for crime victims), have proven to work well in assisting families with the reunification process and providing them with the support they need. Housing When reunification with families is not possible or fails, many youth need additional services to help them stay on their feet. DC Doors, a D.C. nonprofit, offers transitional housing for undocumented women. They also offer cultural competence training for social workers and other professionals serving recent arrivals. The Latin American Youth Center also operates a foster care program that has placed unaccompanied children with families in the area. Language Access The D.C. Office of Human Rights now provides more frequent and improved training on language access and distributes “I Speak” cards in order to inform Limited English Proficient (LEP) and Non English Proficient (NEP) individuals about their rights to receive services in their language. The office has also partnered with community-‐based organizations to better reach the LEP/NEP population and encourage them to file complaints if their rights have been violated. Support for LGBTQ Youth The Community Navigators model works well on its own, or in conjunction with the peer mentor model. La Clínica del Pueblo’s ¡Empoderate! program provides peer support to its Latino gay, bisexual and transgender youth participants and accompanies them when following up on referrals in order to increase their engagement and successfully secure available resources.
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4. Beyond the Classroom The successful practices presented are culturally based, trauma-‐informed interventions built on clinical evidence and culturally specific information. This approach to engaging youth beyond the classroom is used by NGOs in Latin America as well, and has proven to be very effective. This model contributes to bridging different cultures and helps students find commonality with their peers. Culturally competent trainers or program facilitators play a key role in keeping youth engaged by being approachable and establishing trust, by reassuring youth that they care about their well-‐being and their success in school, and by fostering youth’s self-‐determined identity. In successful programs staff also connects with parents and routinely engage them in programmatic or recreational activities. Another successful strategy to engage youth after school is through mentoring programs. In many cases youth and their mentors develop very strong bonds and connections that will stay with them for life. Mentorship relationships help build self-‐esteem while providing different life perspectives and helping them to deal with the most difficult problems. Two mentoring programs were presented as examples: • Mentoring by college students: Through the DC Schools Project at Georgetown University, college students of Central American and other immigrant descent mentor newly arrived youth. Mentoring benefits both sets of participants: the newly arrived high school students, for whom the college students represent a consistent and positive presence in their lives, and the mentors, who gain an incredibly rewarding experience while learning about challenges their mentees face and helping to overcome them. • Mentoring by young adults: The Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers/LAYC’s Full Circle Brotherhood Program (FCB) pairs young men who have faced myriad challenges in their lives with newly arrived immigrant middle school-‐aged boys. For example, FCB mentors may have dropped out of school, have been incarcerated, or have been involved in gangs, but are working towards bettering themselves by living more consciously, building job readiness and leadership skills, and preparing to be mentors. The young boys watch their mentors getting their lives back on track and working on their personal growth. Tutoring and academic support programs continue to play an essential role in school advancement and, in some cases, catching up with students’ peers in certain academic subjects in which they may be behind. Other complementary after school and recreational activities that are successful in engaging youth in positive outlets include: chess groups that, in addition to teaching chess, encourage youth to think of chess in terms of life perspectives; museum visits; theater performances; athletic activities such as biking and soccer; and healing circles.
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5. Health Participants in this discussion group agreed that two main practices that improve service to immigrant children are collaboration between agencies and clinics, and a strong referral process. In the area of health, trust and cultural competency are major factors in choosing one provider or another. When community clinics that traditionally serve immigrant families work alongside specialty clinics, system navigation becomes easier and more people receive appropriate services. Co-‐located and integrated services were also identified as a promising practice. For example, social workers available on site in health clinics and schools alleviate the fragmentation of services and better serve the needs of the children. Access to health insurance is critical, and programs such as D.C. Healthcare Alliance, which insures immigrants who reside in the District independent of immigration status, should be replicated in other jurisdictions in the metropolitan area. Providers’ continuous advocacy in D.C. has proven to be very effective in maintaining and strengthening this important benefit. 6. Mental Health Group members stressed that a family-‐centered approach to mental services is essential. Mental health practitioners have had success when they reached out to CSRs’ schools and communicated with teachers. Additionally, integrating mental health and medical services is important, as one feeds into another. Holistic support for host parents, whether biological or not, is essential. Types of support include mental health, legal, and stress management (through encouraging practices like mindfulness meditation). Mental health providers have found that using humor, play therapy, highly individualized assistance and healing circles is especially useful when working with youth. For example, at Linkages to Learning, a collaborative program between the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services,
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Montgomery County Public Schools, and private and public organizations, the child and family therapist works with students who face challenges associated with acculturation and reunification and helps them build their self-‐esteem through the development of healthy coping skills. Therapists work with students and parents, first separately, then together, to resolve family conflicts and create a common family narrative that gives both child and parent the opportunity to understand and share the grief, sadness, frustration, confusion, and anger associated with the reunification process. Furthermore, therapists maintain close contact with case managers to ensure families are informed of any services and resources available in the community. The Street Outreach Network conducts healing circles in schools to help students heal from traumatic experiences in a shared space with peers. Both programs are now working together to create other opportunities to engage youth, a soccer camp for example. Additionally, in Montgomery County schools Pupil Personnel Workers (PPW) are school staff members who routinely accompany children and their families to school meetings and help advocate for family and student rights. Some high schools have addressed mental health needs by adopting models of self-‐help—training students to become peer mediators. This type of youth-‐ driven initiative stemmed from the constant unmet need to speak to a counselor when they needed to. The peer mediators learn skills to provide support to one another and resolve conflicts. Community Boards,9 an organization based in San Francisco, has developed this type of service model and successfully implemented it in schools in the Bay Area since early 1980s.
C. OVERARCHING RECOMMENDATIONS The following recommendations looked at systems, coordination, sharing of resources, and evaluations which were present in the themes of each of the breakout groups, with the common goal of providing effective and affordable high-‐quality services to CSR and their families. 1. Providers’ professional recommendations: • Provide opportunities for training and professional development. Make these available to all who serve immigrant children and families; provide cross trainings of different sectors (e.g., offer basic legal training to social service staff); train staff in key areas (front desk staff at schools, immigration clerks, and school security guards). • Hire more bilingual and bicultural staff. Advertise and search for more bilingual and bicultural staff; increase outreach to local community colleges and universities; and encourage students as young as middle school to look into these professions. • Conduct a needs assessment. Collect data on what is working and not working in serving CSR to determine gaps and actions to strengthen programs. The assessment should be a
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participatory process in which universities can have a role in data collection, and community members may be involved in data analysis. This will inform future funding requests. • Create and maintain a listserv for providers working with CSR. This tool will enable the sharing of resources, and will serve as organizing vehicle for advocacy and volunteer recruitment. • Create more opportunities for service providers to collaborate. Discussion participants reported a lack of opportunities to network, coordinate, discuss best practices, and develop advocacy and funding needs strategies. • Streamline intake among direct service agencies. Develop a common intake process to collect basic information; each agency would then develop an additional component requesting program/service specific information. 2. Providers’ Outreach and Accessibility Recommendations: • Create central lists and events for families to access information and resources. • Pilot more Navigator programs to help guide CSR and families through specific services needed (navigators could serve as internal advocates within systems to ensure the highest quality of services). • Advertise and conduct outreach in Spanish for educational, legal, heath care, mental health, social service, and after school programs. 3. Policy-‐related recommendations: • Advocate for Comprehensive Immigration Reform and other policies that will protect and provide benefits for CSR and their families. • Enforce language access laws; advocate for language access laws where they do not exist.
D. AREA-‐SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS The following are first-‐priority recommendations from each breakout group. 1. Education • Hire more bilingual and bicultural staff. • Make parent involvement strategies a requirement for teacher certification; have bilingual staff work with families as well as students. • Hire more parent liaisons. • Remove any obstacle for students to enroll in school quickly. • Develop more innovative strategies to work with reluctant learners. • Facilitate workshops in schools to address cross-‐cultural communication, diversity, language and race through storytelling and meaningful peer interaction. 2. Legal Services • Develop a group of Navigators to help guide families through the legal process. • Expand education efforts in the community regarding legal rights and possible forms of relief. • Provide mandatory training for judges on understanding and working with the Central American immigrant population.
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• Replicate the New York Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC) in other cities. IJC recruits talented lawyers and college graduates from around the country and partners them with New York City’s leading non-‐profit legal services providers and community-‐based organizations to offer a broad range of immigration assistance. • 3. Social Services • Develop housing options, especially shelters for homeless youth. • Build relationship with police departments—especially those assigned to schools. • Provide schools with gang intervention strategies and support; initiate coordination among schools to address this issue. 4. Beyond the Classroom • Create and develop mentoring programs. • Train and support youth leaders and advocates. • Invite youth from each program/school to develop and plan a youth summit to share stories, challenges and needs, and their visions for improved services. • Identify promising practices and present them to local leadership at city, county, or state levels. 5. Health • Advocate for health insurance if not available for CSR and undocumented immigrants. • Develop a plan for co-‐located and integrated services (e.g. social workers who are integrated into health clinics and schools). • Publicize services in Spanish and develop a variety of ways to disseminate information. • Create partnerships with other clinics to facilitate referrals and avoid duplication of services. 6. Mental Health • Train staff to better understands the specific needs of CSR and their families. • Educate the population to erase the stigma of accessing mental health services. • Bring more bilingual and bicultural students into the workforce to become school and clinic counselors.
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IV. APPENDICES A PPE N D IX 1: PR E S S O N U N AC C O MP AN IE D C H IL D R E N A ND E F F O R T S O F T HE D C -‐MD -‐VA C O A L IA T IO N IN S U P PO R T O F C H IL D R E N F L E E IN G F R O M VI O L E NC E IN C E NT R A L A ME R IC A A ND IT S ME M B ER S Many Unaccompanied Minors No Longer Alone, But Still in Limbo By Pam Fessler, NPR, March 9, 2015 Buscan mejorar asistencia a niños centroamericanos By Miguel Vivanco, El Pregonero, January 23, 2015 Cumbre regional para ayudar a niños inmigrantes By Hola Ciudad, January 22, 2015 Regional Summit On Children Seeking Refuge By Jorge Martinez, Centro Deportivo, January 22, 2015 Entrevista con delegada Ana Sol Gutierrez By Jorge Martinez, himno.com, January 22, 2015 Local “Holiday Angels” Served the Needy, Comforted the Afflicted in the Region By Robert McCartney, Washington Post, December 24, 2014 DC: Activistas piden ayuda a niños de frontera By Claudia Uceda, Univision Washington, November 25, 2014 Activists Hold Vigil In Support of Immigrant Children At White House Photo gallery by Chip Somodevilla and Saul Loeb, Getty Images, November 23, 2014 Vigilia Frente a la casa Blanca By Univision Washington, November 24, 2014 A Loud Silence: Finding Community at the Vigil for Children Fleeing Violence By Hopey Fink, Ignatian Solidarity Network, November 24, 2014 Border Crisis Now a DC Crisis By Nicky Goren, Washington Business Journal, November 14, 2014
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Opciones a niños migrantes By Santigo David Tavara, El Tiempo Latino, October 16, 2014 Migrant children: Out of sight, still in mind By David Rogers, Politico, October 11, 2014 Voices from El Salvador: Gang Violence Driving Youth Exodus By Armando Trull, WAMU 88.5, October 6, 2014 Vigila por la protección de los niños inmigrantes By Univision Washington, September 22, 2014 Activistas piden mayores protecciones y cuidados para los miles de niños migrantes By Jorge Cancino, Univision, September 16, 2014 Celebran vigilia en DC por niños centroamericanos By Jose Lopez Zamorano, radiobilingue.org, September 16, 2014 Ayudan a menores indocumentados By Santiago David Tavara, El Tiempo Latino, September 9, 2014 Area Schools Scramble to Meet Emotional Needs of Undocumented Children By Pamela Constable, Washington Post, September 7, 2014 On the Front Lives of Care for Undocumented Children Who Cross the Border By PBS, August 28, 2014 Presión Migratoria By El Tiempo Latino, August 21, 2014 Community Members Demand Fair Treatment for Children Fleeing Central America at White House By DCist, August 19, 2014 Federal Government Spends $6B a Year on Medical Care for Undocumented Immigrants By Suzanne Kennedy, wjla.com, August 18, 2014 Vigil for Unaccompanied Children Arriving in D.C. Area To Be Held At White House By DCist via Mary’s Center, August 18, 2014 This is How Much It’s Costing One D.C. Health Center to Treat Influx of Unaccompanied Minors’ From Central America By Tina Reed, Washington Business Journal, August 15, 2014
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Break the Cycle: Vigil to Protect Central American Children By GHRC’s Human Rights Blog, August 14, 2014 Mas niños inmigrantes llegan a la capital By Leonardo Feldman, Hola Ciudad, August 14, 2014 Vigilia semanal apoya a niños Centroamericanos huyendo de la violencia By Claudia Curiel, Telemundo Washington, August 8, 2014 Border Crisis: Cities and States Revisit Anti-‐gang Policies By Teresa Wiltz, Tucson Sentinel, August 8, 2014 Vigilia frente a la Casa Blanca para pedir al Presidente Obama no más deportaciones By Telemundo Washington, August 4, 2014 Vigil to support Children Fleeing Violence in Central America By Ramon Jimenez, MetroLAtinoUSA.com, August 2, 2014 Schools, Social Services Feel the Heat Amid Influx of Central American Children By Armando Trull, WAMU July 31, 2014 What You Need To Know About The Unaccompanied Children Crisis By Armando Trull, WAMU, July 31, 2014 Solidaridad con los menores By Santiago David Tavara, El Tiempo Latino, July24, 2014 Vigil for Central American Children Fleeing Violence By GCH Live on youtube.com, July 22, 2014 Vigilia frente a la Casa Blanca por crisis humanitaria en la frontera By Telemundo Washington, July 14, 2014
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A PPE N D IX 2 : F A C T S HE E T O N C H IL D R E N SE E K ING R EF U G E W H Y
Children flee from the Northern Triangle (Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala) because of social exclusion, violence (gangs, state-‐armed actors, and drug cartels), household violence, drug trafficking, corruption, and institutional incapacity.
While the migration of Unaccompanied Children (UAC) into the United States has been consistent for many decades, this population arrived in record numbers during the summer of 2014. In 2014, the number of minors apprehended by Border Patrol agents neared 68,000. Additionally, there are many children who enter the U.S. alone without coming into contact with immigration enforcement. Both groups face similar challenges such as dealing with trauma and stress, living in the shadows, and being at risk of deportation.
W H O
The majority of the UAC arrive in the United States from the “Northern Triangle,” the Central American region comprised of Guatemala, El Salvador, T H E J O U R N E Y and Honduras, generally • Families usually pay anywhere from $4,000 to $10,000 to crossing into the U.S. coyotes to help them cross into the U.S. Sometimes through the Rio Grande coyotes extort family members for more money once Valley along Texas’ southern the child is in the U.S. border with Mexico. • During the trek from the Northern Triangle through Mexico, most children and families face many risks: In FY 2014, 34% of UAC came extortion from grand and federal authorities in Mexico, from Honduras; 32% from sexual assault (80% of women and girls are sexually Guatemala; and 29% from El assaulted in their trajectory), kidnapping by different Salvador. 77% were male; 23% armed actors, human trafficking, physical were female.10 disappearances, and even death.
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ONCE IN THE USA •
•
• •
•
•
When the children enter into the U.S. and are detained by the Border Patrol, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents transfer youth under 18 to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within 72 hours of confirming that they are minors. While DHS begins the deportation process, ORR places children in shelter care, staff-‐secured care, or short-‐term foster care. The shelters are operated by non-‐profit organizations, and provide food, education, and health and recreational services. A child remains in an ORR shelter for an average of 35-‐45 days. 85% of children are (at least) briefly reunited with family members in the U.S. while facing deportation. As of June 2014, only 30% of juveniles had an attorney for their pending cases. o With access to an attorney, a child’s odds of remaining in the country increase from 10% to nearly 50%. An average of 90% of children who do not have legal representation are deported to their countries of origin. Currently, children fleeing violence in Central America and arriving to the U.S. may be eligible for one of the three forms of humanitarian relief available: Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Asylum, and non-‐immigrant T and U visas. Six states have received majority of the UAC because they are home to existing large Central American communities: Texas, New York, California, Florida, Virginia, and Maryland. o In the summer of 2014, about 6,000 youth were relocated to the Washington Metropolitan Area.
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A PPE N D IX 3 : RE S O U RC E S Unaccompanied Children’s Services Office of Refugee Resettlement http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/programs/ucs/about Unaccompanied Children Department of Education http://www2.ed.gov/policy/rights/guid/unaccompanied-‐children.html National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities National Institutes of Health http://www.ncmhd.nih.gov Office of Minority Health Resource Center U.S. Department of Health and Human Services http://www.omhrc.gov National Mental Health Information Center Child and Adolescent Mental Health Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/CMHS/Special Populations/refugeelinks.asp Buscando Maryland http://www.buscandomaryland.com/ A database built by the State of Maryland helping to connect sponsor families of children seeking refuge to service providers who can respond to basic needs such as food, clothing, healthcare and legal assistance. Maryland Department of Human Resource Children Seeking Refuge Program http://www.dhr.state.md.us/blog/?page_id=12148 American University Center for Latin American and Latino Studies http://www.american.edu/clals/migrant-‐rights.cfm American University Center for Community Engagement & Service http://www.american.edu/ocl/volunteer/Community-‐Service-‐Center-‐About-‐Us.cfm Harvard Immigration Project Graduate School of Education Harvard University http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2004/12.09/11-‐louie.html
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National Center for Cultural Competence Georgetown University http://nccc.georgetown.edu/ The Future of Children: Children of Immigrant Families Princeton University and The Brookings Institution. 2011; 21(1) http://futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/journals/journal_details/index.xml?journali d=74 No Childhood Here: Why Central American Children are Fleeing Their Homes By Elizabeth Kennedy http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/perspectives/no-‐childhood-‐here-‐why-‐central-‐american-‐children-‐ are-‐fleeing-‐their-‐homes Migration Policy Institute http://www.migrationpolicy.org Pew Hispanic Center http://www.pewhispanic.org Urban Institute http://www.urban.org/immigrants/index.cfm Children on the Run: Unaccompanied Children Leaving Central America and Mexico and the Need for International Protection A report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Regional Office for the United States and the Caribbean Washington, D.C. http://unhcrwashington.org/children U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants http://www.refugees.org/ Email:
[email protected] American Refugee Committee Refugee Health Issues Center http://www.archq.org Enrique’s Journey A book by Sonia Nazario Book-‐based resources for educators available at: http://www.enriquesjourney.com/educators-‐students The Teen’s Guide for Surviving Immigration By Juan Pablo Villalobos, Portraits by Brian L. Frank
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Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador http://www.cispes.org Guatemala Human Rights Commission http://www.ghrc-‐usa.org Sisters of Mercy http://www.sistersofmercy.org Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns http://www.maryknollogc.org Documentaries “María en la tierra de nadie” directed by Salvadoran Director Marcela Zamora Chamorro. MARIA IN NOBODY'S LAND is an unprecedented and intimate look at the illegal and extremely dangerous journey of three Salvadoran women to the US. “De Nadie” (No One) is a documentary by Mexican filmmaker Tin Dirdamal on the impoverished Central Americans who leave their countries in hope of a better life in the United States. It premiered in 2005 and was shown at different international film festivals, winning the Sundance Film Festival audience award for World Documentary in 2006. “Who is Dayani Cristal?” directed by Mark Silver. An anonymous body in the Arizona desert sparks the beginning of a real-‐life human drama. The search for identity leads us back across a continent to seek out the people left behind and the meaning of a mysterious tattoo. “Which Way Home” directed by Rebecca Cammisa. The film follows several children who are attempting to get from Mexico and Central America to the United States, on top of a train that crosses Mexico known as "La Bestia" (The Beast). Cammisa received a Fulbright Scholar Grant to make the documentary in 2006. The film premiered on HBO on August 24, 2009. “Destino” by Michelle Frankfurter Photobook documenting Central American migration “Harvest of Empire” directed by Eduardo López and Peter Getzels The documentary reveals the political and social roots that have driven millions to migrate from Latin America to the United States. “A Bridge Apart” directed by Frank Maniglia Jr. A Bridge Apart looks at the epic migration of immigrants from Central America and Mexico to the United States from the point of view of the migrants themselves. “The Invisibles” directed by Gael García Bernal and Marc Silver Collection of short documentaries on Central American Migration
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A PPE N D IX 4 : S UMM IT O N C E NT R A L A ME R IC A N C H IL D R EN S E EK IN G R E F U G E PA R T IC IP A TI NG O R G A NI ZA T IO N S
District of Columbia American Psychological Association American University Center for Community Engagement and Service Ayuda Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition CARECEN Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services CentroNia Committee in Solidarity with People of El Salvador (CISPES-‐DC) Collaborative Solutions for Communities DC Doors DC Office on Latino Affairs DCPS -‐ Office of Early Childhood Education DC Schools Project – Georgetown University DC Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Georgetown University Center for Social Justice, Research, Teaching and Service Georgetown University, Department of Anthropology Hispanic Bar Association-‐DC Hoyas for Immigrants’ Rights, Georgetown University Inter-‐American Development Bank International Academy at Cardozo Education Campus (DCPS) International Republican Institute International Mayan League-‐USA, Inc. Justice Advocacy Alliance Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) La Clínica del Pueblo Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) Lutheran Immigrant and Refugee Service Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area Many Languages One Voice Mary’s Center National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Next Step Public Charter School
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SUMMIT REPORT ON CENTRAL AMERICAN CHILDREN SEEKING REFUGE
Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia Radio Alumbra Sisters of Mercy of the Americas The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights UDC David A. Clarke School of Law World Vision International
Maryland
Baltimore City Public Schools Eastern Middle School (MCPS) Family Services, Inc. High Point High School (PGCPS) Identity, Inc. Law Offices of Campos & Associates LAYC/Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers Maryland House of Delegates/ Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez Maryland Office of the Public Defender Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Montgomery County Recreation Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless-‐Men’s Shelter Montgomery County Office of Community Partnerships Northwestern High School (PGCPS) National Center for Children and Families Prince George's County Health Department Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Sandy Spring Museum YMCA/Public Allies YMCA Youth & Family Services
Virginia Alexandria City Public Schools Ayuda-‐Falls Church Office Catholic Charities USA Legal Aid Justice Center Housing and Community Services of Northern Virginia UPCC Manassas U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
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A PPE N D IX 5: W H A T A TT E ND E E S A RE S A Y I NG A B O UT T H E S U M MI T Below are selected reactions and feedback from participants as provided in the post-‐summit evaluation survey. The Coalition will use these valuable comments and suggestions to inform future actions and events planned for the benefit of CSR. In your opinion, what was the most valuable part of the Summit? • “The most valuable part was having professionals across multiple fields get together to share resources. It was so helpful to hear the shared challenges and opportunities for success.” • “The entire Summit was valuable. It provided the base for what should be the following steps.” • “Getting to see the enormous amount of passion and dedication that a handful of folks were displaying in an effort to support these children.” • “To hear a summary of what has been happening in Central America and why the increase in the unaccompanied children happened. During the breakout session, it was important to hear from other colleagues what works for them and where the gaps in services are.” • “The breakout groups, because it showed that other organizations are having the same issues and concerns. Also it helped in learning different ideas that other organizations are doing to help their clients and that are working.” • “The opportunity to share challenges and successes and brainstorm solutions.” • “Discussion within my breakout group was very helpful. I was glad to hear from other groups about what they're doing and seeing. Also, the list of everyone's contact information is wonderful!” If you had the chance, how would you improve the Summit? Have more summits: • “It is important that we continue to have these summits...so I guess I would improve it by having more!” Increase the length of the summit: • “It will be better if it is done the whole day.” • “More time for discussion with other service providers. Rather than focus on specific fields, have people focus on specific issues or work plans to address an issue.” Change breakout group structure: • “The concluding session was too short. It would have been interesting to hear more from each group. I also think that it would be a good idea to mix the groups. Have groups that have representatives from each sector, so that decisions/solutions/strategies could be achieved by a multi sectorial group that proposes alternatives and multi sectorial
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partnerships.” • “I was really hoping to learn more specifics about the services and programs available to recently arrived children, because I know so little about what's out there, and it is my responsibility to refer youth and families when they seek help. I would have likes to hear more from the other groups instead of spending so much time in my own group, where I already am pretty familiar with what services exist.” • “There was a range of knowledge and experience at the summit. Some folks have recently started working with this population while others have years of experiences. Finding a way to be more intentional with grouping folks would be helpful.” Involve youth: • “Involve the students themselves and government leaders who will eventually need to fund these programs.” • Organize another summit “with the participation of the children who can share their stories, and talk about their needs.” • “Identify a group of kids that we can help and monitor the progress of how our help is making a difference.” If the DC-‐MD-‐VA Coalition in Support of Children Fleeing Violence in Central America was to plan another event, what do you think should be the focus? Trauma-‐informed care: • “I'd like to receive training for how to provide effective services to minor-‐aged survivors of trauma. I'm an attorney, and I don't know what best practices are when doing an initial intake interview, etc.” • “I would like to learn more about how to help children cope and adjust to the US -‐ what services they need. Focus maybe more on mental health, or discuss the trauma they have faced.” Advocacy: • “Advocating on behalf of the unaccompanied children and immigrant families at the State and Federal level to allocate funding to meet their needs.” • “Plan an action -‐ what kind of policy actions can the Coalition develop, advance, and/or support to help these children, based on our particular knowledge?” • “Advocating for children entering the US so VA and DC could change its current state law for minors to be considered children up to the age of 21 instead of 18 for purposes of SIJS, just as MD and NY.” Solidarity among youth: • “How to build solidarity amongst the children. For example, having a youth summit to create listening circles and action plans.”
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Network building and information sharing: • “More sharing across disciplines! As a legal service provider, I would love more feedback from schools, extracurricular programs, mental health care professionals, etc. about what they can offer to recently arrived children.” • “Have organizations give a small presentation on their best practices under the established topics.” • “Create a database for mentors and advocates.” • “How interested volunteers can connect and assist with the needs of the children and their family.” • “General information sessions for general public regarding causes of the crisis and how the wider community could get involved in the Washington DC Metro area to address the needs of the children and even the root causes of this crisis.” • “More skill sharing sessions” Resources for CSR and their families: • “Update on legal options and Central American minors specific events -‐ related to education, health care, etc.” • “Involve the youth themselves to allow them to speak about their own needs and challenges.” • “How can we integrate services to better serve unaccompanied minors and families in the Washington Metro area? There are many services available to the families: healthcare, legal services, housing, etc. Ex: If they look for legal services, how they can also have access to healthcare, etc. The organizations providing services need to find a better way to communicate, so we can guarantee that all families and children are receiving all the support they need.” • “Forming multi sectorial partnerships/committees/coalitions that include CBOs, NGOs, representatives of government agencies, and others to determine concrete plans of action.”
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V. ENDNOTES
1. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/programs/ucs/about -‐ stats 2. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/programs/state-‐by-‐state-‐uc-‐placed-‐sponsors 3. It is important to note that, although our priority of providing services to children seeking refuge as a result of the humanitarian crisis in the past few months is being addresses, the community now faces a new challenge that drains many families and advocates mentally, emotionally, and monetarily: the frequent deportation of children and families seeking refuge in our area. President Obama has clearly stated that the most recent arrivals, who violated immigration law and were ordered to be deported, will be a priority for deportation. 4. For the purposes of this report children seeking refuge (CSR) are defined as children and youth, 18 years old or younger, from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras who fled violence-‐ torn communities in their home countries and arrived to the U.S. unaccompanied. Some may have been detained upon crossing the U.S.-‐Mexico border; others may have not had any encounters with immigration along the way. Most of them are reunited with a family member; those who are not may be able to access foster care. 5. http://www.fcps.edu/cco/fam/reunification.shtml 6. http://www.fcps.edu/cco/fam/reunification/resources-‐for-‐schools-‐and-‐families.shtml 7. http://www.aacps.org/admin/templates/familyresource.asp?articleid=1276&zoneid=19 8. https://cliniclegal.org/resources/articles-‐clinic/Maryland-‐law-‐expands-‐eligibility-‐special-‐ immigrant-‐juvenile-‐status 9. http://communityboards.org/youth-‐schools/trainings/ 10. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/programs/ucs/about -‐ stats
SUMMIT REPORT ON CENTRAL AMERICAN CHILDREN SEEKING REFUGE
VI. PHOTO C APTIONS & CREDITS Front cover: Two Girls Holding Sign. Photo credit: Mary’s Center Front cover: CARECEN Youth Leaders Marching to the White House. Photo credit: Zuma Press Page iv: CARECEN Youth Leaders hold final vigil at the White House in support of children fleeing violence in Central America. Photo credit: Zuma Press Page 3: Coalition members and their families joined weekly vigils between July and November 2014. Photo credit: CARECEN Page 3: Map from New York Times Page 4: Standing up to our values. Photo Credit: Georgetown University Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service Page 5: Youth paid homage to children fleeing violence using paper cut butterflies to symbolize migration for survival. Photo credit: CARECEN Page 6: Group discussion facilitators discuss prior to concluding session at the summit. Photo credit: University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law Page 7: Panelists provided background on root causes of Central American migration and current polices that impact unaccompanied children. Photo credit: CARECEN Page 9: Participants discuss challenges in the area of social services. Photo credit: University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law Page 10: Educators share promising practices in serving unaccompanied children in our public school systems. Photo credit: University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law Page 12: Brainstorming ideas for bringing change to local schools. Photo credit: University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law Page 14: Health professionals make recommendations for better serving recently arrived children. Photo credit: University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law Page 15: Youth prepare signs for a march against domestic violence. Photo credit: CARECEN Page 15: Young women from Honduras holds sign at a vigil in support of children fleeing violence. Photo credit: Zuma Press Page 17: Any Child is our Child! Photo credit: Mary’s Center Page 18: Mother of a child previously detained at the border shares their story at a vigil at the White House. Photo credit: Mary’s Center Page 20: Vigil participants march from St. John’s Church across Lafayette Park to the White House. Photo credit: La Clinica Del Pueblo Page 23: Son Cosita Seria joined the Coalition actions in support of children fleeing violence throughout the summer of 2014. Photo Credit: La Clinica Del Pueblo Page 24: Every Child Deserves Compassion. Photo Credit: CARECEN Page 25: Map from New York Times Page 33: Summit plenary, January 22, 2015. Photo Credit: Himno
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