Immigrant children fleeing gang violence in Central America are due to receive both federal and California State funding to provide them with legal assistance in immigration proceedings.
Over 60,000 unaccompanied children have crossed the US-Mexico border in the past year – mostly from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. These three countries have some of the highest murder rates in the world and the biggest driving force for the children is the threat of gang violence. Most children who cross the border either apply for asylum or they apply for special immigrant juvenile status. It has been reported that while half of children with legal representation at immigration hearings will be deported, those children without legal assistance will be deported nine out of ten times. US Vice-President Joe Biden recently called on US law firms to consider providing pro bono legal representation to assist in this crisis.
At the federal level, the Department of Health and Human Services announced on 30 September that over the next two years, $9 million in funding will be distributed to two refugee organisations, the US Conference of Bishops and the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. It is expected that this will fund legal representation for about 2,600 unaccompanied minors. The purpose of the funding is to support programs which provide legal services to children with illegal immigration status and who are applying for asylum and other protection measures. Californian Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law which allocates $3 million to nonprofit organisation who specialise in the legal assistance and representation of children in deportation proceedings. The Governor also signed legislation which clarifies the powers of state courts to allow immigrant children to apply for a federal government program which awards green cards to abused and abandoned children.