Article
Integration for Unaccompanied Migrant Youth in the United States: A Call for Research
Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
(2017)
Abstract
Between October 2013 and July 2016, over 156,000 children traveling without their guardians were apprehended at the US-Mexico border and transferred to the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). During that same period, ORR placed over 123,000 unaccompanied migrant youth—predominantly from Central America—with a parent or other adult sponsor residing in the US. Following placement, local communities are tasked with integrating migrant youth, many of whom experience pre- and in-transit migration traumas, family separation, limited/interrupted schooling, and unauthorized legal status, placing them at heightened risk for psychological distress, academic disengagement, maltreatment, and human trafficking. Nonetheless, fewer than 10% of young people receive formal post-release services. This paper addresses the paucity of research on the experiences of the 90% of children and youth without access to post-release services. To bridge this gap, this article: (a) describes the post-release experiences of unaccompanied youth, focusing on legal, family, health, and educational contexts; (b) identifies methodological and ethical challenges and solutions in conducting research with this population of young people and their families; and (c) proposes research to identify structural challenges to the provision of services and to inform best practices in support of unaccompanied youth.
Keywords
- Unaccompanied Minors,
- Child Migration,
- Refugees,
- Central America,
- Post-Release Services
Disciplines
Publication Date
Winter 2017
DOI
10.1080/1369183X.2017.1404261
Citation Information
Jodi Berger Cardoso, Kalina Brabeck, Dennis Stinchcomb, Lauren Heidbrink, et al.. "Integration for Unaccompanied Migrant Youth in the United States: A Call for Research" Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (2017) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/scar-gil-garca/8/