This is what happens to “unaccompanied minors” who cross the US-Mexico border.
Thousands of youth have come to the attention of New York nonprofits in recent years.
The bureaucratic journey that brings migrant children from the border to New York begins with an encounter with the Border Patrol and ends at nonprofits that contract with federal government. Illustration by Zach Williams
The ongoing controversy over the fate of migrant children separated from their parents at the border has focused attention on a process that has brought thousands of youth to the attention of New York nonprofits in recent years.
That process begins when the Border Patrol encounter youth at or near the U.S. southern border with Mexico. Once they are taken into custody, they become designated as “unaccompanied minors” – a distinction that sends them into the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement – part of the federal Department of Health and Human Services. ORR has contracts with about 100 nonprofits across the country to care for thousands of children at any one time – about 11,000 as of June 2018.
That’s where New York nonprofits come in. Some like The Children’s Village, Abbot House, MercyFirst, Catholic Charities and Cayuga Centers are among those nonprofits involved in the effort to locate foster care placements for children in ORR custody. Others like the Safe Passage Project come into the children’s lives through the legal assistance they offer in immigration court – something that’s seeing an increase in demand.
The recent controversy with the children separated from their parents has shown no sign of abating, especially as delays in reuniting children with their families continue. But it is just a part of the much wider issue of migrant children crossing the border, whether or not they are unaccompanied. This 2014 Vox video explains the broader context driving thousands of children, primarily from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, to endure long and dangerous journeys to the U.S.
In the meantime, nonprofits will be caught in the middle as they provide services to the children. Some have already had their reputations questioned, others have seen a rise in donations.
In the midst of all these issues, it can be easy to overlook the bureaucratic process that plays out as the immigration system takes children from the border to New York – and how this affects their immediate needs.
“Kids are always traumatized whenever they are removed from their families,” Jeremy Kohomban, president of The Children’s Village said in a June 20 telephone interview with New York Nonprofit Media. “It’s heartbreaking. It’s crazy.”