The Impact of Immigration Enforcement on Child Welfare

The report examines the impact of immigration enforcement on the thousands of children of undocumented immigrants living in the United States, 73 percent of whom are U.S. citizens. This includes risks to child safety and well-being, such as the needless separation of children from parents. The report also highlights the growing challenges for state child welfare agencies that encounter separated children.

According to the report, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) programs do not provide family-related protections. This means that detained or deported parents cannot take part in child welfare proceedings, which creates the risk of permanent separation of the child and parents. In short, the over 5 million children in the United States with at least one undocumented parent are at risk of unnecessarily entering the child welfare system.

The report provides policy solutions for immigration courts, (ICE) and the child welfare system. It recommends that authorities allow children to remain with their families and avoid placement in the child welfare system whenever possible. Furthermore, in light of potential child trauma, the authors recommend that authorities ensure that separated children in the system receive appropriate care, while detained parents are afforded the right to due process.

The report was released by First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization, in partnership with the Migration and Child Welfare National Network. It is the first of a new paper series entitled, Caught Between Systems: The Intersection of Immigration and Child Welfare Policies.

Read the report.