Author(s): The Annie E. Casey Foundation
- Angie Junck
- Rachel Prandini
Published: Feb. 26, 2018
Report Intro/Brief:
“Recent shifts in U.S. policy have put noncitizen youth involved in the juvenile justice system at greater risk of arrest, detention and deportation by federal immigration authorities, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The threat of deportation of noncitizen parents or other family members of both noncitizen and U.S. citizen youth alike causes high levels of anxiety in young people and threatens the stability of their families.
This brief highlights the most important changes made in policy affecting youth in the juvenile justice system since 2014, when the Foundation issued the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative® (JDAI) Practice Guide Noncitizen Youth in the Juvenile Justice System. The overview of the changes is followed by revised policy recommendations for those working with noncitizen youth and young people with noncitizen parents or other family members. These issues are relevant to many juvenile justice professionals because an estimated 11 million people are living in the United States without documentation and more than 5 million children in the United States currently live with at least one parent living in the country without legal documents.
This update provides jurisdictions and individual employees with information to assist in developing informed policies and procedures consistent with JDAI core strategies.5 For its 25-year history, JDAI has aimed to minimize the unnecessary separation of youth from their families and communities. The more local governments understand their options for promoting the well-being of young people within their systems, the more effectively they can serve their local communities while promoting public safety.
Ideally, jurisdictions should partner with local immigration attorneys and other advocates with expertise in this arena to help develop policies and protocols and assist in resolving individual cases.”
