Merging Social Work and Social Advocacy in Response to the Plight of Unaccompanied Child Refugees in the United States

Like many others, my perspective and ambitions are driven and profoundly influenced by my family’s history. As the daughter of two Ukrainian refugee immigrants, I have learned firsthand how important it is to have access to legal resources. While living in the Soviet Union, my family was repeatedly denied community benefits because of their Jewish heritage. Religious and ethnic persecution impacted my family’s life in negative ways, minimizing their confidence and limiting their opportunities. However, once they received assistance from an outreach program, they were able to receive asylum in the United States and begin a better life. This

Part of being an effective community advocate and a leader was listening to the needs of the population I was serving and providing them with the resources necessary to facilitate the transition into a new country and life. I dedicated time to interview each unaccompanied minor in order to learn about their reasons for migration, most included stories of violence, war, and abuse. The stories I recorded and the research I conducted into each child’s case was used to determine eligibility for services and legal representation. In addition, after becoming aware of the difficulty many of these children experienced in learning English at their new schools, I took the initiative to lead weekly English classes for recently arrived

There is a critical need to support Refugee Services of Texas and the services it provides to the local refugee community. Without these services many of this community would not be able to navigate the state’s social services as effectively nor would they be able to support themselves financially upon their arrival in the country. The absences of such services lead to a greater risk of these individuals falling victim to poverty, unemployment, homelessness and social isolation.

In the battle of refugee resettlement, America is its own worst enemy. By abandoning and victimizing harmless refugees, America robs them of their chance at the American Dream. After spending two years interviewing refugees, Anna Husarska was able to support her argument that America is outrageously unfair to foreign refugees (90). In Husarska’s journal, “Exile Off Main Street: Refugees and America’s Ingratitude,” Husarska emphasizes how widespread and commonplace America’s refugee abandonment is, as well as how seldom America attempts to reconcile for it, and how poor it is at doing so.

Beginning in 2011, the United States has witnessed a massive influx in the numbers of unattended alien children arriving at the country’s southern borders. As thousands of children continued to arrive at the U.S. Border Patrol facilities, resources were quickly depleted, culminating in an immigration crisis with the arrival of over 60,000 children in 2014 (Chen & Gill, 2015). These children were coming mainly from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador and the majority of the new arrivals were without parents or caretakers (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR], 2014).

The UNHCR (2014) report Children on the Run highlights the dramatic rise in the number of apprehensions of unaccompanied and separated children by the US Customs and Border Protection, from 4,059 in 2011 to 10,443 in 2012, to 21,537 in 2013, and to nearly 68,541 in 2014. Most unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors arriving in the US come from three countries: El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. They were seeking protection, safety, or employment, or they were joining their families that had already migrated. (UNHCR, 2014)

The article begins with former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, head of the Global Citizenship Commission, proposing to the UN that a court should be set up to assess crimes that have been committed against children. The current refugee crisis has created a dire need for a court to investigate child labor, slavery, and marriage. The court would be able to take charge of cases petitioned by children and issue irrevocable rulings. Since so many children’s rights have been violated, someone needs to speak up on their behalf. The U.N. Children’s Fund has recently addressed the issue of the lack of protection in Europe from human traffickers. The Global Citizenship Commission includes very qualified individuals that have not only suggested for a children’s court, but they also have advocated for reform in U.N. refugee aid and veto processes.

Refugees and Asylees are defined as, “Under international law as being outside their home country and having a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group, according to Bridging Refugee Youth & Children Services article, “Refugee 101.” In the United States, refugee and asylees resettlement was reestablished in the 1980’s. So far, 1.8 million people came to live in the US and annually, about 40,000 to 75,000 people are approved as refugee arrivals or asylees. “According to a 2009 report by the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), 42 million people around the world were uprooted from their homes due to conflict or persecution.” In the moment, “The largest refugee producing countries at present include Afghanistan, Iraq, Somali and Sudan, while Colombia, Iraq, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have the largest internally displaced populations.” In article 14, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution” and ”(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.” This right should always be exercised to an extent and the people

The process of becoming a refugee is a lengthy progress. The United States Refugee Admission Program (USRAP) have different priorities to identify different individuals or groups who are a special concern to the United States to be process. The three priority groups include; Priority One (i.e. people who are refer by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United State Embassy, or some non-governmental organization), Priority Two (i.e. groups of special humanitarian concern), Priority Three (i.e. family reunification cases). After an individual or a group is referred by one of the three priority group, the applicant will be working with a Resettlement Support Center, who is under supervision of the United States Department

This research describes the legal ins and outs of American immigration policy, citizenship, ‘border control’, and the relationship between foreign policy and constitutional law, regarding refugees. Since the birth of the United States in 1776, citizens, from countries all around the world have considered making the trek to America, in hopes of pursuing a different, more prosperous life. Yet, many of history’s hopeful travellers have learned- legally entering America is potentially the most strenuous part of finding their place, in the country. From the late 18th Century until now, there has been gradual increase not only in the quantity of immigrants from around the world, but also the amount of countries these immigrants are

Threats of violence, mistreatment, and lack of food and water, this was reported by children in custody in the U.S. border seeking for asylum. Recently, United States has experiences a dramatic increase of migrants from Central America, especially children traveling in young age without the accompaniment of adult guardian. More then 60,000 unaccompanied children from age 3 to17 have been apprehended along the border this year. These children mainly came from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. This is a critical issue that demands proper attention and immediate actions, because children are brought here through smugglers are many of there are ill. However, the voices where divided to those who believe it 's an immigration problem and those think it 's a humanitarian crisis. However this struggle can be both, a political struggle and a humanity problem. I am very interested in the issue because of the long history of immigration policies changes in United States. I also did many researches about the United Nation’s (UN) role in reaction to human rights and other Non-Governmental Organization’s involvement (NGO). Furthermore, I think this is important for me as an international Students to understand the Chicano experience in the United State by looking into this contemporary issue Chicano and Latinos undergoes, I am able to understand through relating back to the history

This article was published in April 1, 2001, due to The Lost Boys fleeing their home country because of the civil war to settle in what is to become their new home, America. “ In 1999, having determined that repatriation was not an option, the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees, working together with the State Department, recommended roughly 3,600 of them for resettlement in the United States”.

Over the past week, I have read and learned about the struggles of those who have taken refuge in the US. I have come to the conclusion that in the United States of America, the treatment of refugees is subpar. There is constant stigma around being a refugee, struggling with English, and simply being different from the cultural norm. I believe it is absolutely necessary to respect and allow those who enter the US because of the fear of their own home to make one in our own abundant society.

A social worker is a professional trained to promote the welfare of the community, and often works within it, by helping families or individuals. To achieve this, social workers have diverse and multifaceted duties that result in life changing decisions, especially for families and children. It is essential that their aid is provided to children of all backgrounds and nationalities, including migrant children. Although a complex professional protection system for children has been constructed and reformed over the years, migrant children are often overlooked in the development of national laws and policies addressing migration and child welfare. This absence of opportunity for safe immigrations leaves migrant children vulnerable to abuse and violence, especially when unaccompanied (Beckett, 2003). In addition to refugee children, adult refugees require extensive services from social workers, ranging from emotional support to legal guidance to ease their transition to a new country. Other forms of help a social worker can provide include aid for a single parent raising their child, and investigation of claims of abuse within a family. In order to decide what form of intervention and support methods to apply, social workers follow a systematic model of Social Work Intervention that acts as a general guide. (Coulshed and Orme, 1998)

The INGO (International Non-Governmental Organization) helps refugees move to the country. The INGO needs to understand why there seems to be substantial public resistance to refugees in the United States at the moment. For the purpose of these questions, refuges are discussed in general with no particular group identified.