undocumented youth

A new policy from the federal agency that detains unaccompanied, undocumented children has sparked questions about their ability to obtain fair legal representation.  The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on July 5 that unaccompanied minors may not be held in immigration detention without a bond hearing, but the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is now grappling with how to represent these juveniles in court.

Last week, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra weighed in by saying that California should play a greater role in protecting youth who are fleeing dangerous conditions in their home countries.  At the invitation of the Los Angeles Superior Court and the suggestion of the California Supreme Court, Becerra filed an amicus brief in the In re Denis G.

In 2014, Holly Cooper received a phone call from an unnamed source warning her about the conditions of the Yolo County Juvenile Detention Center. The Sacramento-area facility was originally built to house youth convicted of crimes, but was now also receiving federal dollars to serve as an Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) shelter for undocumented, unaccompanied minors.