One issue that has come up at the Immigration Court Open Forum is what is happening with the children at the border. This is a huge issue for the United States and immigration, with children coming to the border by the thousands. There simply is not enough infrastructure to handle it.
According to the representatives present today, the following will try to ease the situation and help the children:
1) Non-profits in the major cities will receive grants so that they can handle the influx of unaccompanied minors and represent them. This is very positive, as the children deserve representation. (Well, ok, no… these children should be cared for, not sent to immigration court, but it’s a decent first step).
2) The children, who are now being sent to facilities across the United States which are able to care for them, will not receive a Notice to Appear until after 60 days. This makes it easier to represent the children, as the Notice to Appear should be for the proper Immigration Court where the child is located, not where they were initially detained.
Overall, a very sad situation. And how the USA deals with it will say alot about our sense of fairness as a society. We’ll keep you up to date!