http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-2.xsd
problems of child welfare and immigration enforcement
This report reflects a growing concern with the way the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in the United States has apprehended minors in irregular or inappropriate ways, of imposing conditions of detention detrimental to the well-being of minors, of using children as lures to apprehend parents who entered illegally, and of frequent abuses of regulations. The authors note that a solution to the dilemma of minors in immigration proceedings is particularly elusive because the issue deals with overlapping and sometimes contradictory institutional mandates and public concerns. Therefore, there is an absence of consistent, coherent national policies regarding the care and treatment of undocumented minors who come under the jurisdiction of the INS. The report is based on a series of interviews and site visits across the USA. It proceeds from a description of patterns of apprehension, the staging facilities and regulations regarding advisement of rights, voluntary departure and exclusion/deportation hearings to the circumstances of detention, types of facilities, conditions therein and release policies. The report then focuses on the legal issues and special problems experienced by minors who apply for political asylum as well as the current roles of child welfare agencies involved in issues related to undocumented minors. The concluding chapter includes policy recommendations and follow-up steps for additional action and research. It includes recommendations on the relationships between child welfare and immigration mandates; the need for independent oversight of INS policies and practices; the issue of detention; monitoring requirements; the representation of minors; and data that should be collected on minors in immigration proceedings.
"Prepared by Susan S. Forbes and Patricia Weiss-Fagen, with the assistance of Maria Boza and Margaret Chamberlain"--3rd prelim. page