CAIR Coalition Develops New Pro Bono Model to Better Serve Detained Children

by Kathryn M. Doan, Esq.

All unaccompanied immigrant children detained by immigration authorities either near the U.S border or in the interior of the country are placed in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).  Although ORR works very hard to place children in the least restrictive setting and reunify them with family when possible, this can result in frequent transfers of the minor. Typically, an unaccompanied minor is uprooted to a different city and state every few months. The unintended consequence is that these unaccompanied minors are hindered in pursuing their immigration case for lack of continuous legal representation.

Knowing that a child will be transferred to another jurisdiction has made it difficult for CAIR Coalition to place a case with a pro bono attorney. Recognizing this challenge, CAIR Coalition has partnered with several law firms with offices in Washington, D.C., that also have offices throughout the country. This serves a dual purpose. First, the child has continuous legal representation at all stages of their case, even if it is in another city. Second, the child’s trust and confidence are not lost with a transfer because the law firm’s offices communicate internally to ensure seamless transfer to the next pro bono attorney.

CAIR Coalition recently placed two cases with pro bono counsel pursuant to this new model, including the case of a child who was recently transferred to California from Virginia.  Thanks to the new model, CAIR Coalition was able to insure that she received continued legal representation despite being transferred across the county.

 

 

 

 

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