Eighteen years ago, Maria Woltjen founded the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights to fight for the rights and best interests of unaccompanied and separated immigrant children facing deportation. At the time, there was no Child Advocate (guardian ad litem) role for children in immigration proceedings and children often faced a complex, adversarial system all by themselves.
Maria created the Young Center Child Advocate program and began integrating child welfare principles into the immigration system. She recruited and trained volunteer Child Advocates, persuaded federal agencies to consider the Child Advocate’s Best Interests Determinations (BIDs), and worked with Congress to enact a provision in the anti-trafficking law allowing for the official appointment of Child Advocates to the most vulnerable immigrant children. Her work transformed the way our immigration system treats children seeking safety.
Maria's one-person organization has grown to nearly 80 staff members in eight offices across the country. The Young Center has fought for the rights and best interests of thousands of unaccompanied and separated children from all over the world. Having built the Young Center into a strong and sustainable organization that is already deeply engaged in pressing for change under the new administration, Maria will be retiring in June. Join us as we celebrate Maria's nearly two decades of service to immigrant children at our Spring Soirée on Thursday, May 13, 2021.
The Young Center works with the most vulnerable unaccompanied and separated immigrant children in federal custody, so their voices are heard, and their best interests are protected. We also advocate for an immigration system that treats children as children. To learn more about work, visit theyoungcenter.org or follow us on social media. Click here to donate.
