The number of children coming unaccompanied to the United States in recent years has increased to historic numbers, and continues to rise. From an average of 7,000 - 8,000 arriving each year and entering U.S. custody, the number rose to nearly 14,000 in 2012 and to 23,500 in 2013, and there are no signs of abatement. Some government officials predict 54,000 children will enter in 2014. These children come from countries around the world, but the majority are from Mexico and Central America, in particular El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
Some children come unaccompanied – without a parent or legal guardian – to the United States to escape persecution, severe abuse, abandonment, unsafe family environments, natural disasters, deep economic deprivation, and other violations of their human rights, including female genital cutting and forced marriage. Others come to reunite with family members they often have not seen in many years. Some children and adolescents are trafficked to the United States for sexual and labor exploitation. Their journeys may be as harrowing to the experiences they fled, often involving sexual violence or other abuses as they travel. Their challenges continue when they are apprehended by U.S. immigration authorities, taken into the custody of the federal government, and placed in deportation proceedings.
With support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, CGRS is working to improve the treatment of unaccompanied children in the U.S. by providing trainings and consultation for attorneys representing children in asylum proceedings. In addition, we have published a comprehensive report with recommendations for reform consonant with recognized principles of child protection grounded in practical experience, and litigating cases with potential to set improved standards applied in children's cases.
Project Partners
Catholic Legal Immigration Network
In March 2013, CGRS launched a new multinational project funded by the MacArthur Foundation on the situation of unaccompanied children through the migration corridor of Mexico, Central America, and the United States. Learn more about this initiative and our work to examine child welfare policies, the treatment of migrant children in each country, and what happens to children following repatriation to their countries.