The U.S. immigration system significantly fails children who come to the United States alone in search of safety, stability, and protection, according to a report from the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies at the University of California Hastings College of the Law and Kids in Need of Defense. The MacArthur-supported report states that children have been fleeing in record numbers in recent years to the United States, where they face a system that does not provide them legal counsel and is not required to consider the child’s best interests. The report provides recommendations for creating a more child-friendly immigration system that will ensure the protection and rights of unaccompanied children in the United States and of those returning to their home countries.
