CAIR Coalition’s Detained Children’s Program has recently produced two color-printed graphic novels, which kick off a mini-series of fictional stories. These stories are designed to help the detained immigrant children we work with discuss difficult and traumatic events, which may be crucial in gaining legal status.
Unfortunately, an overwhelming majority of unaccompanied immigrant children who find themselves in immigration detention are caught fleeing some sort of danger, whether it be danger in their home countries or danger in the U.S. Many of the children we work with are victims of gang violence, domestic violence, rape, torture, human and labor trafficking, and abandonment by their parents. These topics can be incredibly difficult for the children to discuss, and many children are reluctant to see themselves as victims.
In response to this challenge, CAIR Coalition decided to combine the effectiveness of storytelling with graphic art. Staff attorneys Ashley Ham Pong and Amar Nair, and legal assistant Marisa Landin, teamed up to create two stories, a U-visa and T-visa, with colorful, striking graphics that appeal to youth. The T-visa discusses the story of Cynthia, a 16 year old girl from El Salvador who is trafficked for sex by her cousin, while the U-visa discusses the story of Pablo, a 16 year old Honduran boy who is attacked by gangs and domestically abused by his father. Each story also includes general information about the T and U visa and is based on the real-life experiences of the children we have met in detention.
Thanks to funding from the Vera Institute of Justice, CAIR Coalition was able to print these two stories in both English and Spanish. These materials are now available to other Vera legal service providers and will be on our website soon. However, many of our most popular forms of relief-such as asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile status, labor T-visa-have yet to be translated to this graphic novel form. CAIR Coalition’s goal is to complete the series so that many more of our minors can discuss their trauma and be informed about the various forms of relief available to them.
