USCRI Submits Statement for Senate hearing “Unaccompanied Children Crisis: Does the Administration Have a Plan to Stop the Border Surge and Adequately Monitor the Children?”

USCRI supported keeping unaccompanied immigrant children in the U.S. safe in its Statement for the Record for the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing  on February 23, 2016.   USCRI is oldest pro bono legal network dedicated to serving unaccompanied children and provider of Home Study (HS) and Post Release Services (PRS) and has served 10,000 unaccompanied immigrant children.  Click here to see the Statement.  Based on this expertise we offered recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR):

1. Provide post-placement services that have long-lasting impact, promote self-sufficiency, stability and successful integration to all children and families.
2. Enhance reunification and sponsor screening procedures.
3. Institute coordinated and timely responses to children in special circumstance or children in crisis following reunification.
4. Expand lines of communication with PRS providers that promote and encourage collaboration, resulting in improved outcomes for children.

Last month, USCRI testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on the “Adequacy of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Efforts to Protect Unaccompanied Alien Children from Human Trafficking.” Click here to see the video or learn more.