Report: In Children’s Best Interests: Charting A Child-Sensitive Approach to U.S. Immigration Policy

In February 2020, the Center for Latin American & Latino Studies at American University convened a two-day symposium on the treatment of immigrant children in the U.S., attended by lawyers, policy experts, health professionals, and other advocates. Organized in collaboration with the American University Washington College of Law (WCL) and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the symposium generated publicity around the erosion of fundamental protections for immigrant children under the Trump administration and facilitated discussions around how to infuse basic child welfare principles into decision-making involving immigrant children.

 

A new CLALS-prepared report, In Children’s Best Interests: Charting A Child-Sensitive Approach to U.S. Immigration Policy, synthesizes and builds upon the presentations from leading scholars, practitioners, and advocates at the symposium. Authored by CLALS Assistant Director for Research Dennis Stinchcomb, the report provides a detailed assessment of the impact of the current administration’s policies on children and on the integrity of the immigration process, as well as offers a comprehensive roadmap for analysts and advocates interested in exploring how the best interests principle can inform immigration policy and practice.

 

KJ