Donald Trump and Bible Thumping Republican hypocrites must protect immigrant children from ICE family separations

When deportations leave immigrant children parentless

Echo editorial published in the Boston Globe, by the Editorial Board🙏 : Horrible situation❗ Ways for undocumented parents to prepare for the worst. Trump cruelty

During 23 days in June, amid news of increased arrests by federal immigration authorities, staff at the Brazilian-American Center in Framingham helped 73 families fill out affidavits indicating who they would like to care for their child if they could not. 

Center officials had worked with families where one parent was detained or deported. But, as the Globe has reported, there are also immigrant children whose sole caretaker has been detained or deported by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (aka "Evil ICE"), often leaving the child with family friends or relatives.

“This situation is creating a lot of anxiety and fear,” the center’s executive director, Liliane Costa, told the editorial board. “I’m telling families to be prepared to find someone to take care of the kids just in case.”

Community-based nonprofits and state agencies that interact with such families should look to expand their efforts to help them with these tasks. All workers at the Department of Children and Families who interact with families should be trained in how to help them navigate immigration issues.

There are multiple legal paths parents can use to designate a caregiver for their child, each one giving the caregiver a different authority for a different time period. 

Organizations in Massachusetts have compiled resources, including the forms in multiple languages, to help families determine which path is right for them. It’s important for community organizations that work with immigrants to ensure families are aware of these varying options and are able to fill out the forms.

The American Immigration Council estimates that in Massachusetts, there are 29,400 children who are US citizens and living with at least one undocumented parent. Amid a federal crackdown on immigrants without legal status, parents in those families should be preparing paperwork to have their children placed with a trusted caretaker in case they are swept up in a raid.

Ideally, this will allow for a smooth transition to a trusted caregiver, if a child’s parents are detained, avoiding placement in a foster home. 

Department of Children and Families social workers who interact with these families should respect these affidavits and avoid opening a case unless it’s absolutely necessary.

To its credit, the state has been using its Office for Refugees and Immigrants to help families fill out caregiver affidavit forms, with help from volunteer probate attorneys. A spokesperson for DCF told the editorial board that if the agency comes into contact with a family with an undocumented member, social workers give the family resources to help them develop a family preparedness plan.

In cases where a parent is deported, that parent still maintains parental rights, and the agency will seek to contact the parent, work with them and other relatives on a plan for safe care, and work with federal immigration authorities to arrange visits.

If a child without legal status enters state custody for any reason there are ways DCF can help them. Advocates for children have long lobbied the department to let children be placed with kin even if they lack legal status. As a general rule, kinship placements — where a child lives with a grandparent, aunt or uncle, or other relative — provide children with more stability and better outcomes than placement with strangers.

A department spokesperson said such placements with undocumented relatives are allowed provided the prospective guardian fills out a waiver, receives agency approval, and passes a background check.

But, Claire Valentin, managing director of innovation and advocacy at Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts, said social workers often don’t know they can place a child with undocumented family members. “A lot of the times, folks are being told it’s not possible,” Valentin said. “Training would substantially help so social workers know this possibility exits.”

The Department of Children and Families should also ensure it provides adequate access to immigration attorneys for children who need them. If an undocumented child becomes dependent on the state due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment, they may be eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile status, which could grant them a path to legal residency. Asylum seekers or refugees may also have paths to permanent residency. (If children don’t have a path to legal status, they may be subject to deportation with their parents.)

There are indications the Trump administration is seeking to limit programs that offer a path to permanent residency. But as long as they exist, DCF should prioritize helping eligible children petition the court for legal status. Currently DCF contracts with two immigration lawyers to manage such cases. But attorneys who work with children told the editorial board the agency has a shortage of providers and not all immigrant children who could benefit from legal representation get it.

The Trump administration is cruelly putting children and families in positions of fear and uncertainty. As long as community organizations and state agencies can take small steps to help these children- YES❗ They should.😢💗