Opinion | Migrant Children Deserve Better

The Migration Policy Institute found that the budgets of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and I.C.E. nearly tripled between 2005 and 2020. But when the government’s primary focus is not family unity we don’t just run the risk of putting children in danger, the outcomes are traumatizing to children and families.

This funding should be redirected into the infrastructure and capacity needed to humanely and efficiently welcome children and families at the border. We can invest in programs that expeditiously and safely transport children directly to their families, or a safe sponsor home — not detention facilities. As the government estimates that 80 percent of arriving children already have family in the U.S., it’s clearly a logistical undertaking worth striving for.

In cases where children cannot immediately reunite with family, we need child-centered alternatives to custody that are transparent and have built-in accountability measures and resources for children: experienced social workers, trauma-informed counselors and licensed medical professionals who are professionally trained to work with youth.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement already evaluates a potential sponsor’s ability to provide for the child’s physical and mental well-being. The process for the safe and timely release of an unaccompanied child currently includes several steps, including the identification of sponsors, sponsor application, interviews, the assessment of sponsor suitability, including verification of the sponsor’s identity and relationship to the child, background checks, and in some cases home studies and post-release planning. We can redirect funds to drastically expand the vetted sponsor program, and include equal collaboration of state and local child welfare agencies, community organizations, and nonprofits.

To simply return to the failed model of child detention of the pre-Trump era is a missed opportunity to meaningfully reimagine our immigration system. The new administration can enact child-centered solutions that respect and prioritize family unity. In doing so, we can begin to phase out detention altogether.

I shudder to think about the countless children who do not have the same opportunities that my brother and I had when we came to this country, who have been torn apart from their loved ones, and who now face a surge in anti-immigrant sentiment. Immigrant children are not political bargaining chips, and we must not allow xenophobia to influence humanitarian policy.

All children, no matter where they were born, what language they speak, or the color of their skin, deserve to be treated humanely, with dignity and with love.

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