IN THE NEWS

On December 27^th, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision that prevents an immediate end to Title 42, a policy that has closed the U.S. border to asylum seekers for nearly three years. While the decision did not prevent the Biden Administration from taking separate action to end Title 42, in the first week of January President Biden announced that Title 42 will continued to be applied to asylum seekers from Central America, Africa, Asia and most of the world if they cross our southern border, though some Cuban, Nicaraguan, and Haitian migrants will be eligible to seek protection if they have sufficient resources. You can read our statement here.

As disappointing as these developments are, we cannot give up the fight for the right to asylum. Since Title 42’s inception three years ago, the Young Center has consistently and fervently demonstrated how this policy violates immigration law, fuels human suffering, and directly harms children, including in this piece published in The Nation. In 2023, join us in the fight to End Title 42 as we continue to raise our voice and stand for a humane and just immigration system.  

POLICY CORNER

On December 21^st, Young Center staff Pamela Nickell and Jennifer Nagda wrote a letter to the editor at the Houston Chronicle critiquing a report arguing that children’s prompt release to family is the biggest threat to their safety. The article—like the report—failed to address harm to children in large detention facilities or how access to attorneys and community based services can help children and families avoid exploitation. Our letter underscored how “Children are safest when they are in the care of their families and loved ones…” and that “separation that can cause irreparable harm to their emotional, physical and mental well-being.”

WITH GRATITUDE

We are incredibly honored to have received the Frances R. Hesselbein Award from Mutual of America’s 2022 Community Partnership Awards for our Child Advocate Program. The award annually recognizes nonprofit organizations for their outstanding contributions to society, made in partnership with public, private and other social sector organizations. The Community Partnership Award will undoubtedly help us expand the critically important work our Child Advocate Program does to protect the rights and safety of immigrant children and their families.

GET INVOLVED

Our Young Center: New York office will be hosting a Volunteer Child Advocate training on February 11th and 12th, 2023 for all folks who are interested in supporting immigrant children as they face immigration proceedings. To learn more about upcoming info sessions and to sign up for the training itself, click the button below.

From March 23 to March 24, our Disability Rights Policy Analyst Anne Kelsey will be at the Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium on The Right of People with Disabilities to Live in the World of a Changing Legal and Policy Landscape where we will be presenting a workshop on “Advancing Disability Right for Immigrant Children Within and Outside Government Custody.” Stay tuned for more information!

We did it! Thanks to your steadfast support we were able to reach our End of Year fundraising goal! We are so grateful to our Young Center community and your commitment to unaccompanied and separated immigrant children. In 2023, we will continue to work together to build a more just and humane immigration system that respects and protects the rights of all who seek refuge and treats children first and foremost as children.