For Immediate Release

OAKLAND, Calif. — The National Center for Youth Law (NCYL), Acacia Center for Justice, the Immigration & Human Rights Clinic at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and The Door announced today the launch of the Children’s Due Process Project website, a shared resource for attorneys and advocates working to challenge prolonged detention of unaccompanied children in federal immigration custody.

The Children’s Due Process Project is a national habeas project that brings children’s advocates, legal service providers, and pro bono attorneys together. The four managing organizations recruit and train attorneys, pair them with children who need representation and their advocates, and provide support for federal habeas cases seeking children’s release to their loved ones.

The website connects attorneys with model pleadings, case guides, training, and mentorship, and gives interested lawyers and law firms a way to join the project. Participants can also receive guidance through a mentorship-focused listserv and project trainings.

“Children should be growing up with their families, not losing months of their childhood in government custody,” said Becky Wolozin of the National Center for Youth Law. “Through this partnership, we are bringing together advocates who know these children and their families with pro bono attorneys who can challenge their detention in federal court. We are sharing our organizations’ expertise, legal tools, and mentorship so more attorneys have the support they need to take on these cases. Our goal is to make sure more children have a lawyer who can fight for their release and help them get home to the people who love them.”

“What we’re witnessing today is family separation through paperwork. The federal government is creating unaccompanied children on paper and then using that same paperwork to keep them separated from their families. It is harder to see than the family separation policies that captured national attention years ago, but for the children experiencing it, the consequences are just as real. Children who should be home with their parents and caregivers are instead trapped in a maze of repeated vetting, administrative delays, and ever-shifting requirements. Because of the Children’s Due Process Project, kids who otherwise would have spent months in detention now have a fighting chance to get before a judge, challenge their confinement, and return home,” said Kel White, Associate Director, Acacia Center for Justice.

“It has been absolutely heart wrenching to witness the pain and suffering that is being inflicted every single day on the most vulnerable children in our society — detained, unaccompanied children — as they languish in detention separated from their loved ones, for seemingly no good reason,” said Marie Silver, Supervising Attorney for the Immigration & Human Rights Clinic at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. “The Children’s Due Process Project was born out of the legal and moral imperative our network of advocates feels to mitigate these harms, reunify children with their families, and ensure these amazing, resilient children know they are not alone and that there are good people who will fight for them and their families. Being a managing partner in this collective action and seeing one child after another benefit has been so inspiring, and we really hope to spread the love and grow and adapt this project to meet the moment.”

“We are confronting the prolonged detention of children at a scale that requires the legal community to respond in new ways. At a time when so much is being torn down, this project is building something new: a legal network that extends our collective expertise, giving more attorneys the tools and support they need to take on these cases and reunite families. We are already seeing children released through this work, even as we build the capacity to reach many more. At a moment when every additional day in detention can deepen the harm a child experiences, that gives me real hope,” said Beth Baltimore, Interim Managing Director of The Door’s Legal Services Center.

The Project’s approach is practical: recruit, train, pair, and support. Attorneys can express interest in representing children or mentoring lawyers who are new to habeas petitions. Legal service providers and advocates working directly with children or their sponsors can contact the project about referrals, mentorship, and participation.

The site also includes children’s unedited descriptions of detention from court declarations giving readers an opportunity to hear directly from children about separation from family and daily life in custody.

The Guardian has recently reported on the project.

Visit the project website at childrensdueprocess.org to explore resources, read children’s accounts, and learn how to participate. 

###

About the Children’s Due Process Project

The Children’s Due Process Project is a national habeas project managed by the National Center for Youth Law, Acacia Center for Justice, the Immigration & Human Rights Clinic at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and The Door. Together with legal service providers and pro bono attorneys, the project supports federal cases challenging prolonged detention of unaccompanied children in Office of Refugee Resettlement custody. It provides resources, training, mentorship, and connections between attorneys, children, and their advocates.

About the National Center for Youth Law

The National Center for Youth Law uses impact litigation, policy advocacy, collaboration, and research to improve public systems serving children and youth, including education, health, immigration, foster care, and youth justice.

About Acacia Center for Justice

Acacia Center for Justice expands meaningful access to justice and freedom for immigrants at risk of detention or deportation in partnership with an accountable and independent national network of immigrant legal service providers and community partners. Acacia Center for Justice’s reach and impact are unparalleled. The national nonprofit currently operates publicly funded programs and responsive collaborations through a network of over 130 legal service providers nationwide.

About the Immigration & Human Rights Clinic at Loyola University Chicago School of Law

The Immigration & Human Rights Clinic (IHRC) at Loyola University Chicago School of Law represents and advocates for the rights of children, youth, and families who are confronting the U.S. immigration system in their pursuit of safety, stability, and family unity. IHRC faculty and students work on a variety of immigration matters, collaborating with community-based organizations to respond to the rapidly shifting immigration landscape. The IHRC is situated within the Holistic Immigration Hub (HIH), where students learn and work collaboratively with partners from other Loyola University Chicago graduate schools, including the Stritch School of Medicine (Stritch), the Parkinson School of Health Sciences & Public Health (Parkinson), and the Schools of Education (SOE) and Social Work (SOSW). By cross-training and fostering partnerships between immigration attorneys, social workers, educators, and health practitioners, the IHRC engages a novel, interdisciplinary approach to serving our immigrant neighbors that addresses the complexity and breadth of their needs, providing holistic legal services to clients in addition to shaping and informing broader advocacy efforts that center the dignity and humanity of all migrants, with a particular focus on migrant children and youth. Learn more here.

About The Door

For teens and young adults navigating life, there’s one door in New York City that is always open. For more than 50 years, The Door has been a trusted place for young people between 12 and 24. All are welcomed as they are, to be themselves, address challenges, and access services when and how they need them. With roots in the heart of New York City and a presence across the boroughs, The Door offers comprehensive programs and services including legal services, mental health counseling, health and nutrition assistance, housing support, arts, education, and career guidance. At The Door, everything is free and everyone is welcome. The Door’s on-site charter high school, Broome Street Academy, serves up to 300 students per year from across all five boroughs, with reserved seats for students who are transitionally housed or systems-involved. Learn more at www.door.org.