Imagine for a moment that you’re a child separated from your family, in a completely new country, surrounded by people who are speaking a language you can’t understand. At LIRS, we see the courage and resilience of children who are faced with this situation every day — and we work diligently to protect these children and reunite them with loved ones as quickly as possible.

Through our network of trusted community partners, LIRS provides assistance to the U.S. government to identify family members in the country and ensure that children in our care are safely released to loved ones who are well-equipped to care for them. After families have been reunified, we provide extended support to particularly vulnerable families as they adjust to life together and navigate the immigration system.

Our FAMILY REUNIFICATION Services

Safe Release Support Program

The LIRS Safe Release Support Program helps reunite migrant children with their families in the United States and ensures that children who have often faced violence and trauma in their home country or on their journey to the U.S. are protected, cared for, and given access to the services they need.

How It Works

1. Safe Release Support sites perform background checks on potential guardians to ensure that children are reunited into safe and secure homes.
2. The Safe Release staff walk caregivers through the federal reunification process. Potential caregivers often come to the Safe Release Support site with little understanding of the family reunification process. Their appointment with the Safe Release staff is the first time that they meet with a caseworker in person, offering a human connection that allows caregivers to be open about concerns and needs.
3. Safe Release staff identify needs of the family and provide resources such as pro bono legal counsel, foodbanks, counseling services, English classes, job training, and medical care. Safe Release Programs become a trusted community resource for families even after reunification.

The relationships developed in the Safe Release Support program help us determine the sponsor’s motivation for sponsoring the child, the wishes of the parent, the child’s wishes, the sponsor’s understanding of the child’s needs, as well as any risk factors or special concerns the child–or LIRS child welfare specialists–might have.

This crucial facet of our programming prevents the trafficking of children within our borders and ensures that children are placed in safe, loving homes with family members who are well-equipped to care for them.

Home Study and Post-Release Support Program

For particularly vulnerable unaccompanied children who may have special needs or circumstances, Home Study and Post-Release Services are recommended to ensure that the child and their sponsor can live together with safety and stability. Our national network of case managers work to inspect home environments, inform release decisions, connect families to community resources, and  empower families with the resources and knowledge they need to make informed decisions about schooling, legal representation, health care, and recreational and religious services.