ABA Pushes for Greater Protection of Immigrant Children
The ABA House of Delegates today approved four related resolutions that urge state legislatures, Congress and the Department of Homeland Security to revise policies that pertain to immigration proceedings, particularly in regards to minor, unaccompanied and undocumented children.
Three of the resolutions—103B (PDF), 103C (PDF) and 103D (PDF)—urge that federal immigration policies be modified so that the interests of minor children who may be affected by immigration detention or removal proceedings against their parents are fully protected. The fourth, Resolution 103A (PDF), urges state legislatures to enact laws to protect the rights of minors who are victims of human trafficking.
“Unaccompanied children are especially vulnerable to become victims of illegal trafficking, abuse, neglect and abandonment,” Laura V. Farber, Chair of the Commission on Youth at Risk, said in support of the resolution. “An unaccompanied child is a child with no lawful immigration status in the U.S.”
