Unaccompanied Children at the United States Border, a Human Rights Crisis that can be Addressed with Policy Change

Abstract

In recent years, unaccompanied minors have been journeying to the United States (U.S.)–Mexico border in great numbers in order to escape violence, poverty and exploitation in their home countries. Yet, unaccompanied children attempting to cross the United States border face treatment at the hands of government representatives which violates their inherent rights as children. The result is a human rights crisis that has severe health consequences for the children. Their rights as children are clearly delineated in various, international human rights documents which merit increased understanding of and recognition by the U.S. government. This paper calls for the improvement of policies and procedures for addressing the rights of unaccompanied immigrant children; it provides specific, rights-based recommendations which work together to safeguard the rights of the child at the U.S. southwestern border.

Experiences of School Nurses Caring for Newly Arrived Immigrant and Refugee Children

“…The intensified fear of deportation affected SNs decision making around when/how to contact parents in order to avoid disturbing them at work or calling attention to their employers. Our findings indicate that parents' legal vulnerability to detention or deportation are indeed associated with stigma, fears of separation, anxiety, depression and social isolation (Ataiants et al, 2018;Dreby, 2012;Toppelberg et al, 2013;Zayas & Heffron, 2016). Understanding parents' fear of detention and deportation has important implications for promoting health and well-being of newly arrived children and families.…”

A Study and Analysis of the Treatment of Mexican Unaccompanied Minors by Customs and Border Protection

“…The GAO found, however, that CBP does not have adequate systems in place to track who (among required personnel) has completed UAC-specific training, and that the prioritization of training requirements varies among supervisors (GAO 2015). UAC, whether from contiguous or noncontiguous countries, should be cared for by licensed child welfare personnel who have undergone rigorous training in trauma-informed care (Ataiants et al 2018). Trauma survivors can be retraumatized even by untrained but well-meaning caregivers and community service providers (CSAT 2014), and to a far greater extent by immigration enforcement personnel.…”

Socio-Psychological Adaptation of Labor Migrants’ Children in Conditions of Preschool Educational Institutions

“…In many cases, migrant children unconsciously take part in crisis-dependent behavior of their parents and actively assimilate and form a social relations construct. Some researchers express the idea that being "a migrant / a refugee" may be a base for stigmatization in the society and negatively mediate the self-attitude of children from migrant families (Ataiants et al, 2017;Haverkamp et al, 2016). Migrants' children quite often demonstrate a defined tendency to minimize social activity in a situation of uncertainty, when children begin to actively distance themselves from a new to them social space (Judah, 2013;Liao & Wang, 2013;Park et al, 2017;Sevim et al, 2016).…”