Length Of Time Detained Immigrant Children Are Being Held By Government Is Climbing
The Trump administration defends the increasing number of days that the children are being held, saying it is a result of both the large number of kids passing through the shelters and the increased scrutiny given to potential sponsors to ensure children are placed in safe environments. But critics raise concerns about ongoing safety issues.
The Wall Street Journal:
Immigrant Children Are Staying Longer In Government Custody
Migrant children who come into the U.S. without family are staying longer in crowded shelters as authorities struggle to handle their growing numbers and to screen potential sponsors, according to government data and advocates. The average stay for unaccompanied minors who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border, most illegally, is now 59 days. That is up from 56 in June and 41 last year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is caring for about 13,000 newly arrived immigrant children. (Caldwell, 10/19)
In other news —
Texas Tribune:
Federal Appeals Court Finds Texas Foster Kids Were Endangered — But Strikes Down Some Attempts At Reform
A federal appeals court on Thursday once again confirmed what advocates and lower courts have said for years: There are major, troubling flaws in Texas’ child welfare system. But the judges also struck down many specific remedies that a lower court had proposed to target those problems. (Platoff and Walters, 10/18)
Texas Tribune:
Study: Family Separations Causing A Mental Health Crisis In South Texas
The study was released Wednesday by Human Impact Partners, a California-based research group, and the community organization La Unión del Pueblo Entero. ...Around 1,800 children in the Valley had a parent deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2017, leading to what the study’s authors say is increased levels of "toxic stress" in the community. (Wiley, 10/19)
