Ramirez, Sánchez lead 39 members of Congress to Secure Legal Counsel for Migrant Children
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), the Vice Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee, and Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (CA-38), former Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, led 39 members of Congress in urging the Administration to ensure full legal representation for children during their Central American Minors (CAM) program interviews. In a letter addressed to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Ur Jaddou, the representatives call on DHS to follow through with President Joe Biden’s Executive Order that directed DHS to consider policy changes to enable access to counsel during refugee interviews.
The CAM program creates a safe and lawful pathway for certain Central American children and, in some cases, their family members to resettle in the United States. Despite children’s particular vulnerabilities, DHS continues to bar the presence of attorneys during CAM program interviews, increasing refugee denial rates.
“Children’s age and developmental stage, communication and comprehension barriers, and discomfort around strangers all can constitute obstacles to navigating the CAM program interview process. Many children are unable to understand that they are participating in an interview to obtain refugee status, much less the legal significance of issues discussed during the interview or the importance of fully articulating a protection claim,” wrote the members of Congress. “Access to counsel during CAM program interviews would strengthen the fairness and efficiency of the program.”
“Permitting children to have an attorney represent them during their interview is a straightforward, practical measure to ensure a more orderly, secure immigration system,” reads the letter.
The letter is cosigned by representatives Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Donald Beyer (VA-08), Cori Bush (MO-01), Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), André Carson (IN-07), Greg Casar (TX-35), Sean Casten (IL-06), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Lou Correa (CA-46), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Daniel Goldman (NY-10), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Henry “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), Barbara Lee (CA-12), James McGovern (MA-02), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Grace Napolitano (CA-31), Eleanor Norton (DC-AL), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Katie Porter (CA-47), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Raul Ruiz (CA-25), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), and Frederica Wilson (FL-24).
The letter is endorsed byKids in Need of Defense (KIND), Church World Service, Freedom Network USA, Immigrant Defenders Law Center, International Rescue Committee, International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), New Mexico Immigrant Law Center, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN); Tahirih Justice Center; The Central American Resource Center of Northern California - CARECEN SF, Women's Refugee Commission, and Global Refuge.
To read the full text of the letter, CLICK HERE.