On March 8th, 2005, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants launched the National Center for Refugee & Immigrant Children. The Center’s reception was televised to more than 20 cities nationwide featuring UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie, Senator Sam Brownback and Chief Immigration Judge Michael Creppy.
“It is a tremendous honor for USCRI to be starting this Center that will help children alone in the U.S. find lawyers to guide them,” exclaimed USCRI Executive Director Lavinia Limón, as she highlighted the Center’s role in matching unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children with pro bono attorneys across the country.
Earlier that evening at the National Press Club, Ms. Jolie outlined plans for the Washington-based Center that she supported with a generous two-year seed grant. Ms. Jolie has since provided continued support.
Who We Help
Fact:Each year, over 7,000 unaccompanied immigrant children arrive in the United States:
many are fleeing domestic abuse, gang violence, human trafficking or poverty
some simply want to reunite with friends or family
nearly all must fight for their right to stay in this country
the majority of these children go through immigration proceedings without ever having spoken to an attorney
Most child clients of USCRI’s Center come to the United States alone and without resources. Coming from 30 different countries worldwide, they have experienced such horrors as trafficking, persecution, or domestic violence. The Center receives referrals of unaccompanied immigrant children from social service professionals, detention attorneys, family members and concerned individuals in cities all over the country. The majority of these children come from Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras), but others come from China, Iraq, Russia, and Nigeria.
Our Center's goal is to help provide these children with the legal and social services necessary to navigate U.S. Immigration Courts.
To acheive this goal, the Center periodically holds pro bono trainings across the country for potential volunteer attorneys. We offer everything from information on various forms of immigrant relief to basic tips on working with children.
We welcome referrals from both legal and social service agencies as well as other concerned citizens. The best way to make a referral is through our confidential on-line referral system. If you know of an unaccompanied immigrant child in need of free legal assistance, CLICK HERE --all information will remain confidential.
Stacy Jones Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Fellow (703) 310-1130 ext. 3122 sjones@uscridc.org
Contact the Center
National Center for Refugee and Immigrant Children U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants 2231 Crystal Drive, Suite 350 Arlington, Virginia 22202-3711
Phone: (703) 310-1130 Fax: (703) 769-4241
Feel free to contact us if you have specific questions, would like to discuss work, intern or volunteer opportunities or simply want more information about our program.
The National Center hosted the 2009 Conference on Unaccompanied Children in Washington DC. More than 200 advocates, government representatives, and others participated. Thank you to the Embassy of Finland for hosting the opening day and reception.
