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Children

One of the hallmarks of LIRS’s mission has been our commitment to the needs of refugee and immigrant children who come to the United States alone. Following are descriptions of some of the vulnerable populations we serve, and the ways we bring them new hope and new life.

LIRS serves children from around the globe. In the past three years, we have served children from the following countries: Afghanistan, China, Congo, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Liberia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

Unaccompanied Refugee Minors
For more than 25 years, LIRS has been one of only two refugee resettlement agencies authorized by the U.S. Department of State to arrange foster care placements for unaccompanied refugee minors. These are children and youth who come to the United States through the U.S. Refugee Program alone because their parents or caregivers have died, abandoned them, or simply gotten separated amid the chaos of war or civil unrest. Over the years, LIRS has placed more than 5,000 unaccompanied refugee minors with licensed and trained foster families through 25 affiliated child welfare programs across the country.

Unaccompanied Children in Federal Custody
Refugee foster care programs are also open to children and youth who have enter the United States alone and are placed in the custody of Division of Unaccompanied Children's Services (DUCS) within the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) pending a determination of their legal status. As an alternative to detaining such children, ORR refers some children for foster care and community-based services through the LIRS network of culturally sensitive service providers. Examples of such children include minors who are applying for, or have been granted, asylum in the United States; children with special needs; and youths potentially at risk from smugglers or traffickers.

Read FAQs about DUCS.

Trafficked Children
Trafficked children who are under the age of 18 are eligible for a special foster care program, administered by LIRS and the U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops, which provides them with a home along with the services and support they need to rebuild their lives. This program has a special emphasis on preserving the cultural, linguistic and religious identities of all foreign-born children in care.

Families
LIRS’s specialized family reunification program helps children in ORR custody reunite with their parents in cases where there may be safety concerns. LIRS conducts home assessments and provides community follow-up services to youth leaving ORR custody to reunify with relatives in the United States. Through these services, LIRS helps to locate legitimate relatives willing and able to care for these minors, so that they are released into an appropriate family setting as soon as possible. Community-based follow-up services focus on school enrollment, health care, adjustment to the home and legal issues.

Advocacy and Education
LIRS monitors federal legislation and policies that will impact refugee and immigrant children and speaks up for just and fair treatment of these vulnerable populations. Recent advocacy examples include legislation modifying Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and the implementation of the Adoption and Safe Families Act. In addition LIRS engages in advocacy with the State Department, ORR, the Department of Homeland Security, the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees on issues related to refugee and immigrant children.

LIRS participates in trainings and conferences regarding refugee and immigrant children and has published a manual on Working with Refugee and Immigrant Children: Issues of Culture, Law and Development.