Over the last few weeks, we've seen thousands of families from Afghanistan begin resettling in the United States. Among those arriving at our airports are unaccompanied children and those who've been separated from their families during the journey.
Young Center Child Advocates are already advocating for unaccompanied and separated children from Afghanistan.
Our programs have already received dozens of referrals for unaccompanied Afghan children. Nearly 70 unaccompanied Afghan children arrived in Chicago shelters in just the last two weeks. We have also begun to see children arrive to facilities in and around New York and Washington, D.C. Many of the children are in crisis—they just left their homes, families, and communities—and many did not know where they were going before they stepped onto a plane. Our Child Advocates are focused on helping understand each child’s wishes—and ensuring government agencies listen.
Our policy team is working with government officials to expand protections for unaccompanied Afghan children.
Our policy team has spoken with government officials, including Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and his staff, to advise them on policies that will better protect Afghan children at risk of prolonged custody or family separation.
We have urged the government to prioritize reuniting children with their families, even if that means reunification with parents and family members evacuated to other countries.
We continue to ring the alarm about placing children in massive, emergency intake sites and have called on the government to create more small, child-appropriate facilities where children can access the services they need to begin to heal.
We have banded with a network of other immigration and grassroots advocacy organizations to raise awareness and visibility of the policy issues impacting Afghan children and refugees.
We are distributing a bilingual practice advisory to networks of Afghan diaspora and refugee organizations that explains how they can support Afghan children and the process children undergo to seek release from custody.
Thank you for your support,
Gladis Molina Alt
Executive Director
Feature photo: Street art photographed by Aleyna Rentz
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.
