Innovating Protection for Migrant and Asylum-Seeking Children and Youth in U.S. Communities

May 4, 2022 | The number of young people fleeing high levels of violence, crime, natural disasters, food insecurity, and poverty and crossing the U.S.-Mexico border reached a 20-year high in the U.S. government’s fiscal year 2021 (October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021). This included a record number of children who entered the United States unaccompanied. This is not just a wave. It is a trend that is likely to continue as children across the Americas continue to face a cascade of risks. Many newly arriving migrant and asylum-seeking children arrive to the home of a parent or relative in the United States after years of separation. Some have lived with a great deal of independence, taking care of their own survival under extraordinary circumstances. Most need significant support upon their release from federal custody and as they navigate their new lives in the United States.

Communities across the country are challenged to meet the needs of newcomer children and youth, often with little federal or state support. This conversation considered the needs of migrant and asylum-seeking children and youth in the United States. What efforts are underway to help them find protection and stability in their new communities? Who is responsible for providing support?

This event was co-sponsored by the Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues, the Institute for the Study of International Migration, and the Georgetown Americas Institute. It was part of the series Innovating Protection for Children on the Move Across the Americas.