Dear Friend,

Last week we launched our 2020 Annual Report, detailing the work you made possible. My favorite part of the report is the stories of the children we have the honor of serving at the Young Center. They travel hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to reach safety. They risk everything to tell their stories. They show us their strength as they build meaningful relationships with their Child Advocates and fight to reunify with their families and live where they will be safe. Some become Waymakers for other children seeking safety. It's impossible to capture their experiences in a few paragraphs but we’ve shared snippets of their stories in the Annual Report and below (we've changed the children's names to protect their privacy).

Naela and Miriam came to the United States with their two older sisters, fleeing abuse and religious persecution in Pakistan. The sisters were separated at the border. The older sisters were sent to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center and Naela and Miriam were sent to a children’s facility in Chicago. We worked with partner organizations to secure the release of the older sisters from ICE adult detention and fought for the release of Naela and Miriam. Today, all of the sisters are together and safe, and in the process of applying for legal protection.

Miguel came to the United States to escape violence and threats from a gang in his community in Honduras. Like many unaccompanied children, he was at risk of being transferred to adult detention (ICE) on his 18th birthday. After building rapport with Miguel, the Young Center was able to identify some of his family members in the United States. With only two months left before he'd be transferred to adult detention, we secured his release to his family and found a pro bono lawyer to represent him.

Ricardo and Roseline arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border after a harrowing journey through the Darien Gap, where their mother and older sibling disappeared. The Darien Gap is a dangerous stretch of jungle between Columbia and Panama that many migrants travel by foot. In Panama, Ricardo and Roseline were apprehended by immigration officials, and their grandmother and uncle from the United States traveled there to bring them home. At the U.S.-Mexico border, the children were turned away four times under the Trump administration’s anti-child policies even though their family members were accompanying them and were eager to welcome them. In collaboration with the family’s attorney, we advocated with border officials, used social media, and mobilized allies on the Hill to ensure the children were allowed into the country on their fifth try. When border officials separated them from their grandma and uncle, we successfully won their right to be reunited.

Our fight for children like Naela and Miriam, Miguel, and Ricardo and Roseline would not have been possible without your support. Thank you so much for sustaining our work. Click here to make donation—and a difference in the lives of children—now.

Thank you,

Gladis Molina Alt
Executive Director