Welcome to the National Refugee Advocacy Webinar

Monday, June 21st 2014

rcusa.org

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Agenda12:00   Welcome 12:05   Supplemental overview 12:10   UAC protection and TVPRA 12:20   Root Causes of Migration 12:30  Legislative update 12:40   Action needed: Oppose Rollbacks to TVPRA & 

Support Refugee Funding12:50  Q&A 

ORR Appropriations Recap 

•In June, ORR reprogramed $94 million from refugee services to care for the influx of unaccompanied immigrant children

•Reprograming from Refugee Social Services, TAG, and Preventative health 

•In order to prevent gaps in refugee services, ORR must receive the full $1.83 billion requested in the FY14 Emergency Supplemental

•To prevent future reprograming in FY15, we are requesting a total of $3.367 billion in FY15. 

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FY14 Emergency Supplemental • The Obama Administration has requested that Congress enact a $3.7 billion 

Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill:–  $1.83 billion for ORR–  $1.1 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement – $433 million for Customs and Border Protection– $300 for the State Department– $64 million for the Department of Justice

• Mixed bag- increases for ORR and funding for legal services; insufficient funding for legal services based on overwhelming need,  dramatic increase in family detention, insufficient funding to address root causes 

• Congress should provide more funds in the supplemental to increase legal services for unaccompanied children in the United States and enhance programs to reduce violence in sending countries and create safer alternatives so that individuals, particularly children and families, are not forced to undertake dangerous journeys in the first place. 

Unaccompanied Children

• Unaccompanied alien children (UACs) are undocumented children under the age of 18 who come to the United States without a parent or guardian

• Defined in law in the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Pub. L. 107-296 §462(g), 116 Stat. 2135, 2205 (2002): a person who ‘(A) has no lawful status in the US, (B) has not attained 18 years of age, (C) with respect to whom- (i) there is no parent or legal guardian in the United States; or (ii) no parent or legal guardian in the United States is available to provide care and physical custody.

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Photo: San Bernadino Community Service Org

Recent Trends in Unaccompanied ChildrenNumber of UACs Arriving is Increasing in U.S. and Central America– From 2004 to 2011, the number of arriving unaccompanied children to the US 

averaged between 7,000 and 8,000 annually.– In FY 2012, the number of unaccompanied children taken into US custody 

jumped to over 13,000 children. – In FY 2013, the number reached over 24,000 and the current projection for FY 

2014 is over the earlier estimate of 90,000 children coming to the U.S.– Asylum requests by Guatemalans, Hondurans and Salvadorans seeking refuge 

in the neighboring countries of Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Belize have increased by 712 percent since 2008

– Even more people are fleeing to safe havens within their own countries.

UAC Population is Changing– More Girls – Younger Children Arriving – More Victims of Trauma

8Source: CBP

UACs Apprehended by CBPCOUNTRY 2011 2012 2013 2014

El Sal 1,394 3,314 5,990 11,436

Guatemala 1,565 3,835 8,068 12,670

Honduras 974 2,997 6,747 15,027

Mexico 11,768 13,974 17,240 12,146

TOTAL 15,701 24,120 38,045 51,279

U.S. Legacy of Protecting Vulnerable Children

• Protecting Those Fleeing Persecution—With the Refugee Act of 1980 the U.S. demonstrated its commitment to welcome those fleeing persecution by providing asylum-seekers, regardless of legal status, with a legal right to submit a claim for protection. It also affirmed the principles of non-refoulement: the legal obligation to not return or expel a person where their life or freedom is threatened. 

• Treating Children Humanely and Preventing Family Separation--Flores v. Reno Settlement Agreement (1997) is the law that requires the U.S. government to comply with an array of legal due process rights for unaccompanied migrant children (including right to a hearing & judicial review), established a mandatory policy in favor of release to family members instead of detention, and required the U.S. to place children in the least restrictive custody. Many of these standards were later codified in the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA). Under Flores a child would remain with a family member for the duration of his or her legal proceedings instead of in federal immigration custody.

• Ensuring All Children in the U.S. Are Cared For According to Child Welfare Standards--Homeland Security Act of 2002 established the Department of Homeland Security and broke apart INS. UACs’ care and custody moved to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The U.S. asserted a strong moral voice by saying the best interest of the child must be considered whenever a child is in the custody of the government and the correct custodial agency is one with child welfare expertise. 

U.S. Legacy of Protecting Vulnerable Children

• Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA): codified some of Flores and ensured its compliance, but also put the onus on the U.S. government to ensure children are screened for potential trafficking before return to their home countries. It also reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the best interests of the child. 

• TVPRA of 2008 sought to establish procedures to guarantee Mexican unaccompanied children were being screened for trafficking crimes and for asylum before being repatriated to MexicoUnder the Homeland Security Act, Mexican children were excluded from the best interest of the child protections and screenings for Refugee Act protections.. If a determination of cannot be made within 48 hours, a child must be transferred to ORR.

   In addition to codifying some of the custody requirements under Flores, the TVPRA 2008 outlines other child welfare protections: requires all potential sponsor to have an identity verification and assessment for potential risk to the child, for especially vulnerable children (who experienced trafficking, child abuse or have special needs) it establishes minimum standards for safe release to a sponsor, requiring a home study and post-release services. 

•  Requires ORR to ensure (to the greatest extent practicable) the legal representation of all UACs in legal proceedings and matters to protect them against trafficking, exploitation and mistreatment. Currently an estimated 70-90% do not have legal representation depending on the location of their immigration hearing and the lack of legal resources in the area. 

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• Protect most vulnerable and welcome the stranger• Respect the dignity and humanity of these children- understand the danger and trauma of their migration journey and that this is in large part a forced migration

• Examine Root Causes in Home, Transit and Destination Countries of why these children are coming and why they are at risk

• Support families trying to protect their children

Talking Points about UAC

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MessagingUAC = Children in Need of Protection/ Children Fleeing Violence/ Children seeking safe refuge 

UAC U.S. Challenge = urgent humanitarian situation UAC Regional Challenge = A foreign policy, regional protection challenge 

 UAC Solution = A regional, holistic approach by U.S. & all countries in region Rise in UACs =  International Protection Issue Rise in UACs =  Distinct from Immigration Reform; fixing Immigration Reform does not fix this issue 

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Root Causes

• 2005 Organized Crime gains a foothold • 2009 – coup destabilizes institutions in HN

From Where are the Unaccompanied Children Coming and Why? Overview of International Protection Concerns

The majority of children are coming from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras (some Mexican children are arriving- but they are treated differently by law)

There are no simple answers to why.  They come for a variety of reasons but increasingly they are fleeing life threatening violence in their home countries:

Long-standing factors are still present, including the lack of educational and economic opportunity, the negative push of family breakdown in their home countries, or the positive draw of family unity with family members living in the United StatesOne overriding factor has significantly contributed to the spike:  pervasive violence with impunity- whether it be gangs, transnational organized crime, or vigilante death squads, operating with near total impunity because of government corruption and complicity, and the breakdown of institutions. 

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This heartbreaking story, shared by a partner of a Jesuit social center in Honduras is one of many that shows why these children need access to protection: 

After “Leticia” was raped by over a dozen gang members, she and her family reported the crime to the police. They immediately began to receive death threats. In the absence of any protection, and likely complicity by police in the gang’s terror campaign, the local partner attempted to relocate Leticia to a women’s shelter. The shelter refused to take the case because of fear that they would not be able to protect either Leticia or their other beneficiaries from the gang. In the end to protect Leticia from further harm, she had to be sent to another country.

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Recommendations: Support sustainable economic development

• Expand successful migrant reintegration programs to help stabilize communities and prevent unnecessary repeat migration.

• Invest substantially and over a sustained period in job training and job creation programs targeted at urban youth, particularly from areas of high violence.

• Evaluate all US-funded development projects for migration impact to ensure that US programming does not unintentionally undermine social cohesion, family structure or existing livelihoods, thus catalyzing migration.

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Recommendations: Reduce impunity and violence & strengthen the rule of law

• Provide resources and technical assistance for shelters for girls and women victims of violence and strengthen and expand States’ and localities’ capacity to respond to and sanction violence against women and girls.

• Provide support and assistance to crime victim and witness protection systems.

• Invest in community-based comprehensive youth violence prevention strategies.

• Continue to strictly condition assistance to police and military in Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico on compliance with basic human rights standards. 

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Recommendations: Strengthen regional protection system for children and migrants

• Support well-trained, well-resourced and accountable child protection systems.

• Increase financial support for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the region.

• Support UNHCR in establishing refugee resettlement and anti-trafficking processing in Central American and Mexico. 

• Work with other international donors to open an office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Honduras. 

• Strengthen the asylum, humanitarian visa and anti-trafficking systems in Mexico. 

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Legislative update • HUMANE (Helping Unaccompanied

Minors and Alleviating National Emergency) Act S.2611

• Creates a specialized expedited removal procedure for all unaccompanied minors from Mexico, Canada,  El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras or any other country deemed appropriate.  Hearing before immigration judge must take place within 7 days of arrest. 

• Bill amends the TVPRA by forcing children into accelerated immigration court proceedings that must be conducted and completed within ten days of arrival in the United States 

• Mandates custody of children and limits release of children to sponsors—but provides for no additional resources for HHS or other child welfare supports for children. 

• Expansion of border enforcement 

Photo credit: CREDIT: JACK JENKINS, THINKPROGRESS.ORG

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Legislative update • Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act H.R. 1537

• Addresses whole asylum system and systematically narrows access to protection, for populations far beyond UACs

• Removes TVPRA protections for children from noncontiguous countries 

• Changes definition of UAC

• Narrows SIJV qualifications

• Adds new inadmissibility and deportability grounds for anyone whom the government “knows or has reason to believe” is involved in gang activity 

• Amends the credible fear standard to require in addition that it be more likely than not that the applicant’s statements made in support of the claim are true

• Parole reform-  rewrite the parole statute to specify and severely limit the circumstances in which a person may be granted either humanitarian or public interest parole.  It would also require a report to Congress on parole numbers and categories under which parole was granted

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Demand Congress REJECT Rollbacks to the Trafficking Victims Protection ActProposals to "deport children more quickly" would return unaccompanied

children to exploitation, trafficking and unsafe situations

Both President Obama and some Members of Congress are proposing changes to the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). The TVPRA was passed with broad bipartisan support and signed into law by President Bush in 2008, in part to reduce the likelihood that the U.S. would deport children back into the hands of traffickers and other dangerous situations.  Changes to the TVPRA would mean that children would not have a meaningful opportunity to have their story heard, and would likely be deported to unsafe situations. 

Congress should not rescind this bipartisan law just because more children are in need of these protections. The U.S. must show leadership by finding ways to reduce the violence these children face in their home countries, rather than immoral proposals to deport them more quickly.

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TAKE ACTION: CALL CONGRESS TODAY & SPREAD THE WORD

Go to http://tiny.cc/ProtectKids or call 1-866-940-2439 

"I'm from State, Congregation/Community and as a person of faith, I strongly oppose any rollbacks to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

Unaccompanied children fleeing violence should not be returned to unsafe situations. As your constituent, I expect you to stand firm against any

proposal that would sacrifice a child's safety for expediency. The U.S. must instead find ways to reduce the violence these children face in their home countries, and ensure that children who arrive to the U.S. have access to

the legal counsel and services they need.”

Find your Representative and Senators' Twitter Handles at http://tiny.cc/ProtectKidsEx: . @SpeakerBoehner As a person of faith I urge you to oppose changes to the TVPRA that would return children to unsafe situations #iamsolo #theyarechildren #uacs Follow @InterfaithImm on Twitter & "like" Interfaith Immigration Coalition on Facebook.

Urgent Action Alert: Stop Cuts to Refugee Services

In order to prevent gaps in refugee services, ORR must receive the full $1.83 billion requested in the FY14 Emergency Supplemental 

and a total of $3.367 billion in FY15. 

ORR has reprogramed $94 million from refugee services to meet the needs of unaccompanied children. Since the number of unaccompanied children arriving in FY14 has exceeded projections, ORR is experiencing a significant shortfall. Without additional funding, vital programs that assist refugees and support communities that welcome refugees will lose significant funding and capacity in FY14 and FY15. Refugee services are already underfunded, and these cuts have devastating consequences for refugees and the communities that welcome them.

Meet with your Reps & Senators Meet with their local staff on these important issues.

•Meeting with your Representatives and Senators and their staff, is very important to educate them about the vital role that ORR funds play in their communities and the support for increased funding.

•Request a meeting NOW to have a meeting as soon as possible.

•The ideal group for such a meeting will include a refugee who can share a powerful story, the director of an agency or a case manager who knows the ins and outs of program work, a faith leader, a business leader, a volunteer, and YOU!

•A toolkit for meeting with your Members of Congress can be found at rcusa.org/wrd2014. Please be in touch with your advocacy staff, listed  on the last slide, to strategize about these meetings.

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Rally in Support of Unaccompanied Children, Oxnard CA

Left to Right: Bishop Mendez (Southern Baptist), Bishop Carcano (United Methodist Church), Bishop Bruno (Episcopal Church)

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Building the Welcome Where Unaccompanied Children are Being Held

If you are located near a holding facility work together with local congregationsand organizations to build a welcoming environment through the following actions:

• Visit the facility with Clergy/ Bishops to assess conditions. 

• Hold a press conference or demonstration with faith leaders providing moral support and faithful welcome to children

• Write Opinion Editorial and Letters to the Editor in Support of the Children and ORR funding 

• Collect basic goods like blankets, clothing and food for the children. Make sure to publicize the collections as a testimony of welcome by alerting the press of the delivery

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• UNHCR: Children on the Run: Unaccompanied Children Leaving Central America and Mexico and the Need for International Protection: www.unhcrwashington.org/children/reports 

• USCCB Mission to Central America: Flight of the Unaccompanied Immigrant Children to the United States: www.usccb.org/about/migration-policy/upload/Mission-To-Central-America-FINAL-2.pdf 

 • KIND (Kids in Need of Defense) and Center for Gender & Refugee Studies: A Treacherous Journey: 

Child Migrants Navigating the U.S. Immigration System,: www.supportkind.org/en/about-us/resources 

 • Women’s Refugee Commission:  Forced From Home, The Lost Boys and Girls of Central America: 

http://womensrefugeecommission.org/programs/migrant-rights/unaccompanied-children  • Vera Institute of Justice, Center on Immigration and Justice: The Flow of Unaccompanied Children 

Through the Immigration System A Resource for Practitioners, Policy Makers, and Researchers: www.vera.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/the-flow-of-unaccompanied-children-through-the-immigration-system.pdf 

 

Reports

2014 Refugee Advocacy Calls

• The next scheduled call will take place at 12:00 PM EST on Friday, November 7th.

• We will also be in touch about organizing state-specific calls for Texas, Ohio and Florida in the Fall.

• New listserve! RefugeeAdvocacy@googlegroups.com

Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1CxYDoC_Rkh5epSR9yL6IF0gvADrwQIIBEIL8kDCvm6E/viewform

ADVOCACY CONTACTS• Church World Service: Jen Smyers, jsmyers@churchworldservice.org

• Episcopal Migration Ministries: Katie Conway, kconway@episcopalchurch.org

• Ethiopian Community Development Council: Susan Kenney-Pfalzer, SKPfalzer@ecdcus.org

• HIAS: Shaina Ward, shaina.ward@hias.org

• International Rescue Committee, Anna Greene, anna.greene@rescue.org

• Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service: Nora Skelly, nskelly@lirs.org

• Refugee Council USA: Kristen Aster, kaster@rcusa.org

• U.S. Committee for Refugees & Immigrants: Esmeralda Lopez, elopez@uscridc.org

• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: Matt Wilch, mwilch@usccb.org

• World Relief: Jenny Yang, jgyang@worldrelief.org