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While children have always been a part of migration flows, migration scholarship has, until recently, ignored their experiences. Seminal theories focused on adult male migrants, concentrating on how individuals or family units make rational decisions to maximize return on labor, diversify income sources, and pursue socioeconomic mobility by migrating to places where wages are higher.
In the 1970s, feminist scholarship began to question the validity of these explanatory frameworks, bringing attention to the experiences of women as independent migratory actors with their own agency and…
In February 2023, the New York Times published “Alone and Exploited,” an article on the experiences of newly-arrived migrant children in the United States who are often exploited for their work in dangerous jobs that violate child labor laws. Having crossed the U.S. southern border unaccompanied, many of these young people are under pressure to earn money to support their families back home, pay rent and living expenses, as well as debts to smugglers, while also…
Family reunification occurs when migrants relocate without intact family units, and later reunite in new countries. Family serial migration and reunification is a global issue, relating to both voluntary and involuntary migrants who seek physical safety, psychological well-being, and economic self-sufficiency in new countries. Early studies alluded to a joyful family reconsolidation, while recent studies have found stressful reunions. This study provides an overview of the family reunification process of Latinx adolescents who have migrated to join their families in the United States.
The…
Providing effective mental health services to unaccompanied children released from federal immigration custody is both critically important and incredibly challenging. Developed by children’s rights attorneys and mental health experts on trauma and immigration, this Guide is grounded in the voices and experiences of unaccompanied children. The Guide provides context on the distinctive experiences unaccompanied children carry with them and offers guidance on how to meet the therapeutic needs of these children. Featured quotes from detained unaccompanied children throughout the Guide come from…
This article argues that the U.S. Congress should make changes to extend protections under Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). First, says the author, Congress should pass legislation to eliminate the requirement that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) must consent to grants of SIJS. Next, Congress should eliminate the per-country limitation on SIJS-based adjustment of status visas and triple the number of visas allocated per year in order to account for all the unaccompanied minors that may be eligible for SIJS. These implementations would give effect…
Abstract
There has been a record surge of unaccompanied immigrant minors (UAMs) entering the United States, with 86% of those apprehended at the US‐Mexico border originating from the Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. A majority of immigrant children are separated from either one or both parents at various points during the migration process. Although average separations last 4 or more years, and may be deeply distressing, there is little research on family separations among Central American UAMs. Further, little is known about the developmental impact of…
Abstract
COVID-19 has undoubtedly affected all caregivers, including foster carers. Despite the importance of self-care in assuaging the impact of the pandemic, there is a dearth of research on this topic, and virtually nothing specific to this important group. This study uses a retrospective pre/post design to measure the impact of the pandemic on foster carers’ self-care. An invitation to participate in an electronic survey was circulated among carers in a US state and a snowball sample of 1229 compiled. Analyses of their replies revealed significant decreases in self-care practices in…
Abstract
COVID-19 has undoubtedly affected all caregivers, including foster carers. Despite the importance of self-care in assuaging the impact of the pandemic, there is a dearth of research on this topic, and virtually nothing specific to this important group. This study uses a retrospective pre/post design to measure the impact of the pandemic on foster carers’ self-care. An invitation to participate in an electronic survey was circulated among carers in a US state and a snowball sample of 1229 compiled. Analyses of their replies revealed significant decreases in self-care practices in…
The events of 2020—including a global pandemic, a nationwide conversation about systemic racism, and a contentious election—allowed us to immediately put our core values into practice. Bethany made significant programmatic and operational changes within three major categories, which are outlined below and will be explored in detail throughout this report. This report summarizes findings from a mixed-methods case study of innovations and challenges within four Bethany foster care locations in the U.S.: Atlanta, Georgia; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Detroit, Michigan; and Grand Rapids, Michigan…
Abstract
COVID-19 has put child wellbeing at risk, perhaps especially, for children and youth involved in the foster care system. For these children and youth, any stability they may have experienced since entering care has been disrupted and their contact with parents limited. A sudden shift to virtual only contact meant both parents and caregivers were in need of support to navigate these changes. This study reports on the rapid development and implementation of an eLearning and structured practice guide for visitation supervisors to help them facilitate virtual visits…