In the fall of 2012, the Detained Children’s Program expanded to provide legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children at a third juvenile facility in Virginia called Youth for Tomorrow. Located in Bristow, the facility provides shelter to children as young as eight years old. Every week, CAIR Coalition staff visit with the children to conduct “Know Your Rights” presentations to ensure that the children are oriented as to their situation and are aware of potential options available to them.
In order to better serve the younger population of immigrant children being housed at Youth for Tomorrow, the Detained Children’s Program has created a new set of visually appealing “Know Your Rights” handouts in English and Spanish. These handouts include basic information about the immigration system along with colorful pictures depicting themes such as the four main forms of relief available to the minors: U-visas for victims of crimes; T-visas for victims of trafficking; asylum for those fearful of persecution; and Special Immigrant Juvenile status for those who have been abandoned, abused or neglected. The handouts stress the importance of going to immigration court and continuing with a case even if a child leaves detention to reunify with a sponsor.
While these new materials were created with younger children in mind, they have also been a great help to older children as well. One teenager at Youth for Tomorrow, who was released to a family relative in another state, was so inspired by our staff and our “Know Your Rights” presentation that he began advocating for himself from the detention center. Knowing he would reunify out of state soon, he called all the legal service providers there and even convinced an organization to bump him past the three month waiting list so that he could be screened for Special Immigrant Juvenile status right away. We are proud of our minors and happy to empower them with information!
