A Social Worker's Perspective: Serving Unaccompanied Central American Minors

"It is imperative we ensure necessary protections for children fleeing violence seeking safety in the U.S.

The recent influx of unaccompanied minors arriving in the United States from Central America has gained international media attention, shining light on the issue and providing an opportunity to examine our response as a nation.There has been a significant steady increase in the numbers of unaccompanied minors over the past few years reaching new heights this year, at the peak of which around 300 children were arriving daily. Among these, the percentage of particularly vulnerable minors such as those under twelve years old, pregnant, or teenage parents has significantly increased. Over the past year, I have worked with programs for unaccompanied Central American minors, and have heard from children appalling accounts of violence in their home communities such as kidnappings of children by gangs in school; sexual assault of women and children; witnessing murders; and forceful recruitment of young boys into gangs and criminal activity. As children flee these violent conditions, seeking safety and reunification with family in the U.S., it is imperative that we ensure necessary protections are in place. 

Unaccompanied children face a variety of challenges as they navigate their arrival in the U.S., search for safety and permanency, and integrate into new communities. Following an often harrowing journey to the U.S., unaccompanied children are apprehended and detained by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).In addition to trauma on their journeys, a portion of minors report poor conditions and treatment in CBP detention facilities. Cold cells (referred to as ice boxes), a lack of blankets, appropriate food, and access to bathing facilities, verbal abuse by officers, and crowded conditions are chief complaints. Many children refer to their time in detention as when they were "in jail."

The Flores Settlement Agreement in 1997 created a nationwide policy for the detention, release, and treatment of minors in the custody of INS, now the Department of Homeland Security. Provisions made under the settlement mandate that children are moved expediently from border patrol facilities to the care of the US Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which funds licensed programs that offer a less restrictive setting, promoting the best interests of the child. For younger, more vulnerable children, this means entering foster care programs while teenagers generally enter shelter settings specifically for unaccompanied minors.

In these programs, minors receive support services (mental health, medical, and education) and program staff work to locate and assess family members or close friends for reunification. Assessments are conducted by case managers while the minor is in federal custody which include screenings for any trafficking concerns, child welfare risk factors, and the capacity of potential caregivers to meet each child's needs. With the recent spike in numbers, the pressure has been felt to ensure children are reunified as quickly as possible to open space for incoming minors.Working under pressure and striking the balance of thorough assessment and quick family reunification is a challenge requiring skillful case managers and clinicians.

Minors who do not have family with whom they can be reunified face return to their home country or remaining in long term foster care while a path to permanency is sought via the immigration court process. These children are often teenagers with trauma histories requiring higher levels of care. There is a national need for more culturally sensitive, trauma informed foster homes able to care for these minors on a long term basis. Unfortunately, if minors turn 18 before their immigration case is determined, they age out of the system and either face being detained with Immigration and Customs Enforcement as an adult or supporting themselves in the community.

The majority of minors discharged from the ORR system are able to be released to the care of a family member or friend. Finding stability and integration in local communities can present challenges, as these minors are deemed "undocumented" until the outcome of their immigration case which can often take years. The most frequent challenges I have observed involve families gaining access to legal, medical, and mental health services. Despite these challenges, at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) we have found that the majority of unaccompanied children are enrolled in school, are resilient, able to draw on support networks and internal strengths, and work hard to comply with the immigration court process in the hopes of obtaining legal status to remain in the U.S. With this knowledge based in service provision to unaccompanied children and their families, LIRS advocates nationally for policies promoting family unity, alternatives to detention, and enhanced protections for unaccompanied minors under the law. LIRS has encountered individuals and communities across the country extending support and welcome for unaccompanied children despite the political rhetoric, and hopes that we as a nation will stay true to our tradition of welcoming vulnerable newcomers.

Founded in 1939, LIRS is the second largest refugee resettlement agency in the U.S. It is nationally recognized for its leadership advocating with refugees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied children, immigrants in detention, families fractured by migration and other vulnerable populations, and for providing services to migrants through over 60 grassroots legal and social service partners across the U.S. Celebrating 75 years of service and advocacy this year, LIRS has helped more than 500,000 migrants and refugees rebuild their lives in America.