Dear Friend,

Despite continued bad news on the immigration front, we are so proud to share that this week—thanks to the hard work of our staff and your support—we won the release of five children from government custody in New York and made it possible for them to be safely reunified with their families.

Manuel* and his 6-year-old brother Paco escaped gang violence in El Salvador with their parents and came to the United States border to seek protection. Because of the administration’s Remain in Mexico program, they were denied entry and forced to go back and live in the refugee camp in Matamoros, where conditions are dire. The family’s “day in court” was actually a video hearing in a freezing tent court; the judge presiding over the hearing, who was not in the room but on a television screen, denied their case. The refugee camp is dangerous and chaotic, and in the midst of all that was happening, Manuel and Paco became separated from their parents and crossed into the U.S. alone. They were transferred to a detention facility in New York and the Young Center was appointed to be their Child Advocate. Meanwhile, their parents, terrified of returning to El Salvador, appealed the court’s decision. Our team argued repeatedly that the boys should be released to their uncle and his family during the appeal. This week, bolstered by a decision from a federal court that requires the government to release children like Manuel and Paco, we were successful in advocating for the boys’ immediate release and they were reunified with their uncle and his family.

“I spoke with the family. They are so elated, relieved, and grateful to have the boys home! Paco was outside playing with his cousins when I called. Manuel turns 15 on Saturday and I’m so happy that he’ll be celebrating with at least part of his family,” -Abena Hutchful, Staff Attorney, Young Center-New York

Like Manuel and Paco, 14-year-old Maria and her 9-year-old sister Ana came to the U.S. alone after spending six months with their family in the refugee camp in Matamoros. When the situation became patently unsafe and the family could not find sufficient food, the girls returned to the border unaccompanied and were taken into government custody. We advocated for Maria and Ana’s release to family, as required under federal law. After three months in custody, Maria and Ana are now living with family while their immigration case continues in court.

Juan is a charismatic 6-year-old boy who grew up in a loving home in El Salvador. Things changed when the family received death threats because of Juan’s father’s military service and they fled to the U.S. seeking protection. At the border, Juan and his family were forcibly separated in a moment of unnecessary cruelty: officials arbitrarily told Juan’s parents that only one parent and child could enter while the other parent and child remained in Mexico. The family made the difficult decision for the mother to enter with her youngest child while Juan and his father remained behind in Matamoros. After surviving six months in increasingly dangerous conditions, Juan returned to the border alone and sought protection. A few days later, his father was kidnapped by a cartel. He was released only after a ransom was paid.

Juan was placed in custody in New York but there was no guarantee he would be released to his mother and brother. We worked closely with his family to ensure the reunification would be safe and that appropriate measures would be taken to protect Juan, his mother, and his little brother during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to our team, Juan was finally reunited with his mother and little brother this week.

It’s your support that makes this work possible. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Maria Woltjen
Executive Director

*We have changed all names to protect children’s privacy.