Hundreds of Immigrant Children in New York Are in Need of Lawyers
As many as 700 immigrant children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border are currently in New York state. But even though President Trump has reversed his administration's policy of splitting up families who crossed the border without authorization, it's unclear what will happen to the children who are already here.
One problem facing these children is a lack of lawyers capable of representing them in immigration court. As WNYC's Beth Fertig reports, lawyers and foster care agencies working with the kids say it's a state of emergency.
"They want to help, there's plenty of lawyers in New York, but not enough for all the kids right now who need them. These are kids in foster care, so they have privacy protections. A lawyer can't just knock on the door and say 'I want to represent one of them,'" said Fertig.
Meanwhile, WNYC's Cindy Rodriguez says there's another problem for caseworkers: figuring out how to eventually reunite these children with their parents is new territory.
"Parents are typically in ICE detention, already deported, or some may be released from detention on bond," said Rodriguez.
For more of their conversation with WNYC's Jami Floyd, click on the link above.
