Estar con mi mamá/ To be with my mother

 Unaccompanied (UAC)minors are  Children who enter the United States without proper documentation  Age range 17- under  Vulnerable to becoming victims of human trafficking, exploitation, and abuse.  Non-citizens entering the United Sates without a legal guardian  Entered through an unofficial port of entry  Mostly from Central America  Primary Countries  Guatemala  El Salvador  Honduras  Mexico

 To Escape Violence  To reunite with family members living in the United States  Search for Work  Escape abusive homes  Sent by parents either from their home country or from the USA

Country of Origin FY201 4 FY2013 FY201 2 Honduras 34%30%27% Guatemala 32%37%34% El Salvador 29%26%27% Mexico <2%3%8% All other countries <3%5%4% MalesFemales <14 years FY %34%27% FY %27%24% FY %23%17%

 Separation from the larger group  Assault  Rape  Human Trafficking  Lost/ Left in the Desert  Illness  Severely Injured by “La Bestia” (Non-passenger train crossing East coast of Mexico that CA migrants climb, hide, and use to travel)

 Defined their rights  Contact family members living in the USA  Social Worker and Guardian begin the process of reunification by confirming sponsorship  Sponsor  Legal resident or citizen  Employed  Never been convicted of a crime  Must submit all information to ORR and Homeland Security  Must register minor to a public school  Must take minor to regular court hearings  Minor in care is given schooling, medical care, and counseling while awaiting reunification  Rate of stay is less then 35 days category 1, category 2 could be up to three months

WHERE THEY END UP IS CALLED “AFTER CARE”, AND SPONSORS ARE GIVEN THE ONUS TO FIND LEGAL HELP. This is only the beginning of the process to get help. Even kids who have sponsors have ended up with tragic results. English language programs and legal aid are in the larger cities, while unaccompanied minors are often sent to small towns in the U.S., where sponsors live and work. Fear of the legal system drives some folks underground rather than relinquishing their whereabouts and personal information Potential sponsors may be undocumented and not want to be identified within the legal system. Children can and are returned to their homeland, it only remains to determine how long before that happens. One estimate is as high as 80% of all the UACs end up going back home. Currently, fewer children are entering from Mexico, perhaps due to the increased patrolling along the S. Mexican border and the train stops.

Founded in 1961, the Vera Institute of Justice is an independent nonprofit national research and policy organization in the United States. Based primarily in New York City, Vera also has offices in Washington, D.C., and New Orleans. Vera joins research, analysis, and expert assistance in order to plan, implement, and evaluate solutions to weaknesses in systems that deliver justice, such as courts, law enforcement, immigration, and social services. The Institute typically works in partnership with local, state, or national officials, and is active across the United States and around the world.New York CityWashington, D.C.New Orleans

 Numbers of UAC sharply increased in the last 2 yrs  ,000  ooo  ,625  ,000  ,496

 Once reunified clients on their own with their immigration status  Not guaranteed to be reunited with parent  Cultural Shock  Family Shock  No statistics available in regards to success rate of UAC  Immigration status not guaranteed  Problems in School  Maybe subjugated to work  Foster Programs for UAC Applying for Asylum and road to citizenship?

OFFICE OF REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT FIGURES APPROXIMATELY 80% OF ALL MINORS ARE EVENTUALLY REPATRIATED.

 For more information check the website for the Office of Refugee and Resettlement below:

WE MUST LOOK AT THE ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHERE WE ARE TAKING CARE OF OUR OWN CALL TO JUSTICE INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY. WHAT IS THE CHURCH’S RESPONSIBILTY? WHO DO WE HAVE RELATIONSHIP WITH? WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR AREA? WHAT ARE SOME NEEDS WE CAN TAKE CARE OF IN OUR EVERY DAY ACTIVITIES? LOOK NO FORTHER THAN OUR OWN COMMUNITIES, CONGREGATIONS, IE, “WHERE DO WE NEED TO BE SAVED?” Ruben Garcia, founder and executive director of Annunciation House, El Paso, Texas, February, 2015.