The Immigrant Child Advocacy Project

The children come to the United States without their parents, from all corners of the world. They’re fleeing political upheaval, extreme poverty, child labor and abusive homes. In some cases they’ve come to be reunited with family members who preceded them here. The children are trafficked into the U.S., transported by hired smugglers, or make the dangerous journeys on their own. Sometimes they’re too young to understand why they’ve been sent to the United States.

In 2008, more than 8,000 unaccompanied immigrant children were taken into custody by U.S. immigration authorities. They were caught at the borders and at the airports, and then sent to shelters throughout the country where their stay can range from a month to as long as a year.

Through the Immigrant Child Advocacy Project, multilingual law students, social work students and lay volunteers are trained to serve as friends of the child or Child Advocates. Their role is to figure out what brought the children to the United States and advocate on their behalf. The Advocates get to know the children, help sort out their stories and help identify their eligibility for asylum or special protective visas. The Advocates help ensure the best interest - safety and well-being - of these vulnerable children, whether they are eligible to remain in the United States, or return to their home country.

To find out more about the project, visit http://www.immigrantchildadvocacy.org/index.shtml

Get The Facts!

Immigrant Children Come Together!

Getting Immigrant Parents Involved!

“Imagine sitting at a table in a classroom with your child's teacher. He's talking to you while holding a report card and folder with your child's name on it, but you don't understand what he's saying. You're uncomfortable maintaining eye contact with him and want to say something, anything, but you don't know what. So you're silent and can only nod. About 15 minutes later, you walk away feeling confused and frustrated; the teacher, likewise.

One parent group at Hollifield Station Elementary PTA (the county's largest school population of nonnative English speakers) with the help of district coordinators, organized an event called American Culture Night. It was so successful that immigrant families are connecting with the school—and getting involved in the PTA.

By July, they had crafted a night of activities and presentations covering topics as varied as school policy, curriculum, holiday celebrations, the code of conduct, tardiness and attendance policies, and even bus procedures. Specifically, Dombrowski says, "The goal of the evening was to help parents feel connected, comfortable, and confident with the education their children were receiving."

Many parents took the first step toward greater involvement: They provided suggestions. Topic recommendations for future events included raising children to be independent, leadership in American society, and dealing with misbehavior driven by cultural differences.”

Source: http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/298-connect-with-immigrant-parents

Interview with Jessica Furtado from Brazil

1. Q: How old were you when you first moved to the United States?

A: “I was 7 years old.”

   2. Q: What was your first impression/thoughts of where you had moved?

A: “I was excited and a little scared to live a different life.”

   3. Q: Did you often think about wanting to go back to your native homeland?

A:  “Yes, my first year I cried every night wanting to go back.”

   4. Q: What was your hardest battle as an immigrant child?

A: “Knowing that you’re not living in your country and you don’t have the same rights as everyone else. Being a different ethnicity was very hard.”

   5. Q: What was the process for your family to come here?

A: “My mom came first, no she did not jump the border. She came with a visa. Then I came to the U.S. 2-3 years later with my godmother.”

   6. Q: How different were you treated when you arrived in the U.S.?

A: “Very different. I didn’t have many friends because I couldn’t speak English. I also felt bad that I couldn’t do some activities the other kids were doing.”

   7. Q: What is the most help you received throughout your journey and from who?

A: “I received a lot of help from my ESL teacher and also my tutor helped me a lot.”

A Little About Me

I am an immigrant child myself. My parents and I along with my younger sister moved to the United States many years ago. At first I was terrified and so anger at my parents for taking me so far away from my friends. I kept reminding myself that these new people around me were never going to be my friends. I had this set image of what my friends looked like and none of my classmates fit that profile. I only knew the few words my mother had taught me including bathroom and water to be able to communicate with my teachers in school. Within a few months, I was speaking English so well that my ESL teacher bought me new pencils and notebooks and took me to a college that I can't remember the name of. There she asked me to read aloud to her from a book and I read with just a high voice because I was filled with pride. Having friends from different backgrounds and some who are immigrants themselves has had the greatest impact on  my life. They've showed me that with support, self confidence and hard work, you can accomplish anything you set your mind too even if there are people out there who might reach your goal much faster. If it takes you twice as long as your friend to read a book in school, take your time and focus on the story. Don't even pay attention to others around and pay attention to the skills you have rather than the ones you lack. Being an immigrant only means that you have seen the world from a different perspective and that you have moved to a new country to establish a different lifestyle. Be proud that you are an immigrant or have immigrant parents!

Interview with Abri Chinasa from South Africa

1. Q: How old were you when you first moved to the United States?

A: “I was 16 years old at the time.”

2. Q: What was your first impression/thoughts of where you had moved?

A: “I was scared and excited at the same time. I barely knew the language and there were foreign faces all around me. Not only were the people new but they were a mixture of all different cultures.”

3. Q: Did you often think about wanting to go back to your native homeland?

A:  “In the beginning I constantly wanted to return home. Everything I did felt incorrect and I thought I would never fit in. People gave me strange looks at first because of the way I dressed. I kept thinking that no one was going to like me. I was proved wrong as I made more and more friends.”

4. Q: What was your hardest battle as an immigrant child?

A: Getting a part time job was probably my hardest challenge. Native citizens were usually offered the jobs I had interviewed for and I was constantly striving to reach their level. It felt that no matter how hard I tried, they would always have an advantage over me.

5. Q: What was the process for your family to come here?

A: It was a very long waiting process. The paper work was very complicated and they constantly kept finding some sort of error in them to send us back. My parents had to spend every cent they had saved to get people to sign papers and approve our request to move over seas.

6. Q: How different were you treated when you arrived in the U.S.?

A: Aside from the strange looks I got, I felt as if I was treated unequally and as if I was up to no good. Since they could barely understand me, they acted as if I had no idea what I wanted or that I knew what I was talking about.

7. Q: What is the most help you received throughout your journey and from who?

       A: This man who lived up the street from us became very close with my 

       father and helped him find a job. He would also bring treats and dinner    

       over that his wife had made since we barely had enough money for food. I 

       am extremely thankful that we had met him and his family.