Catholic Charities USA Summary of Activities of Unaccompanied Minors/ Humanitarian Crisis

Catholic Charities USA Summary of Activities of Unaccompanied Minors/ Humanitarian Crisis

The US Customs and Border Patrol office estimates that more than 90,000 Unaccompanied Children will cross into the United States in 2014.  This is almost three times the number apprehended in 2013. As of July 17th, 1,144 adults, families, and unaccompanied children were in Border Patrol Custody. An average of 305 additional unaccompanied children are apprehended by Customs and Border Patrol each day. Currently, there are 8,715 unaccompanied children in Office of Refugee Resettlement custody. This system is at 91% capacity.

Catholic Charities USA, local Catholic Charities agencies, and partners are committed to providing humanitarian assistance for this crisis. As of July 15th, 521 unaccompanied children remain in Border Patrol Custody. Though this number is significantly lower than in previous weeks, this could be due to a number of factors including a traditional drop in immigration in the hottest summer months.

Significant changes are required to reduce violence, eliminate gangs, drug lords, and human trafficking venues, and improve economic conditions throughout Central America. Until this occurs, large numbers of men, women, and children will continue to travel to the United States seeking a better quality of life. Catholic Charities believe that everyone has a right to food, water, shelter, and safety and will continue to provide migrant children and families that come to us with the respect, compassion, and care that they deserve.

The Work of Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities USA and several local Catholic Charities agencies along the southwestern border are actively responding to this immigration crisis. Catholic Charities USA views this as a manmade disaster and a humanitarian crisis.  As such, CCUSA’s Disaster Response Operations division has been fully engaged in activities at both the National and local levels:

• CCUSA remains working to identify vacant facilities within the U.S. Catholic Church structure that may be transformed into an emergency shelter facility for use by the Office of Refugee Resettlement for Unaccompanied Children and to begin the family reunification process.
• CCUSA also continues to identify a cadre of professionals (immigration lawyers, physicians, case workers, and licensed mental health counselors) that can work in Office of Refugee Resettlement emergency shelters if CCUSA receives a request from the federal government.
• Providing technical assistance, funding and in-kind assistance, and on-the-ground support to local Catholic Charities agencies. This includes on-the-ground support to Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley and Catholic Social Services of Laredo. Deployed CCUSA staff (6 in total) and Catholic Charities of Camden, New Jersey staff (3) to assist Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley.
• Fr. Larry Snyder visited Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in July to tour McAllen Detention Center and respite centers run by Catholic Charities.
• Collaborations continue with other US Catholic Church organizations to identify and work towards key solutions to the crisis. These include:  US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Migration and Refugee Services, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Health Association, Leadership Counsel of Women Religious, and St. Vincent DePaul
• On the ground (Rio Grande Valley) and National meetings with key leadership to draw attention to current realities towards finding short and long term solutions (US Vice President Joe Biden, US State Department, Mexican Government, Consulates of Guatemala and El Salvador, First Lady of Honduras, US Secretary of Homeland Security, Texas State and Local Leaders, US Customs and Border Patrol leadership).
• CCUSA has provided information and interviews to numerous national and international media outlets describing the Catholic Charities network efforts to assist with the humanitarian needs of the immigrants.
• CCUSA continues to raise funds to support this effort. The 1-800 donation line is now available in both English and Spanish.

Catholic Charities Network Agencies:

Catholic Charities Network agencies are responding to the humanitarian needs of migrating families with children all along the border region.  Beginning in McAllen, Texas at the beginning of June, 2014, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley was asked to open a center to meet assist migrating families on their journey to their sponsoring family member in the United States. The “ask” resulted in the creation of a respite or Welcome Center. Similar centers are now open in the following locations:

• McAllen, Texas
• Brownsville, Texas
• Laredo, Texas
• El Paso, Texas
• Yuma, Arizona
• Tucson, Arizona
• Fontana, California

While each site may vary slightly, the services offered are, in general, the same.  Specific services provided at each center include:

• Meals and snacks to take on the journeys
• Medical Care and medications  (emergency medical needs are treated at local hospitals)
• Clean Clothing and hygiene supplies
• Shower Facilities and restrooms in which they can wash themselves and their children.
• Shelter facilities for resting
  – In McAllen, an overnight shelter for up to 100 people is available
• Crisis Counseling Child Care
• Legal guidance (offered by a local Immigration Law legal firm)
• Assistance with navigating the US transportation system, (buses, planes, and rail)
• Human Care and compassion (each family is accompanied by a volunteer to answer any questions or just to talk)
• Translation services
  – Several families assisted have spoken Mayan dialects.
• Transportation (if required) to in-community partners to access additional services
• Transportation and accompaniment returning to the bus station to ensure a safer journey

Catholic Charities agencies have provided humanitarian assistance to almost 9,000 men, women and children.

Demographical Information

• 48% of families assisted are from Honduras, 20% are from Guatemala, and 30% are from El Salvador.  Of the almost 9,000 individuals assisted since June 9th, 4,797 are children under the age of 18.
• Children traveling with parents range in age from 1 day to 17 years old
• The average age of children is 7
• The average age of the adult is 30
• The migration journey varies from 7 to 25 days.

Data gathered from the Catholic Charities site in McAllen show that families are traveling to 38 states throughout the United States.

Partners: Catholic Charities agencies are utilizing local partners in their communities in an effort to provide a full range of services to immigrant families.  These include legal immigration firms, local doctors and nurses, local churches of all faith denominations, food banks, and local businesses like Home Depot, Walmart, and community grocery stores.   In addition to many local partners assisting Catholic Charities facilities across the country, the following national level partners are also providing services in collaboration with CCUSA:

• Salvation Army – hot meals and diet specific foods
• Southern Baptists – hot showers and laundry facilities
• Save the Children Federation – Playgroup Care and Child Crisis Counseling
• AmeriCares – Medical supplies and health related support

Talking points from Catholic Charities USA:

• As a nation, we must respond to the needs of ALL vulnerable children and families. Migrating unaccompanied children and migrating families should not be solely be viewed as a statistic;  they are human beings…. they are children of God and must be treated with dignity and respect, care and compassion.
• Unaccompanied Children and families traveling with children who are migrating to the United States should not be deported without a proper immigration hearing as many of them are migrating in search of safety and protection.  This population should be granted asylum.  Any expedited removal of this vulnerable group would be sending them back to bodily harm or even death.
• The detention centers where immigrant children and families with children are currently being placed are not designed to house children and families. The current influx of migrants has led to overcrowding and sometimes unsanitary conditions —an alternative to detention should be provided in a community setting that properly safeguards migrants.
• Funding is needed to provide appropriate shelter, for post-release services and legal representation, alternatives to detention, and for additional immigration judges and courts.