Updates - Latest News Items
Following are the latest news items to come from the KIND
headquarters....
The Safety and Well-Being of Repatriated Children
May 12, 2010
KIND in partnership with the Global Fund for Children is
launching a pilot project to help ensure that immigrant children
who come to the United States alone and have no option but to
return to their home country are sent back to a safe situation
where their basic needs are met. Made possible with funding from
the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Guatemalan Child Return and
Reintegration Project pilot, one of the first of its kind, will
help children returning to Guatemala, where KIND and the Global
Fund will be working with local nongovernmental
organizations.
Read more about what KIND is doing to help Repatriated Children...
New KIND "Safe Exit Program"
May 12, 2010
Not all unaccompanied children qualify for relief that will
enable them to remain in the United States. Or, sometimes a child
may wish to return to her or his country without pursuing any form
of relief.
Read more about the "Safe Exit Program"
New Partners, New Opportunities
May 11, 2009
KIND continually looks for new partners to help increase its
pool of pro bono attorneys and to reach new communities where
children may need KIND's help. KIND has several new partnerships
that will mean more unaccompanied children will have the pro bono
representation they desperately need.
Read More...
Helping Haitian Children
May 11, 2009
Even prior to the January 12 earthquake that devastated Haiti,
KIND had identified Haitian children as a group in need of a
helping hand. The earthquake brought this need to a new level, and
KIND ever since has been advocating to ensure that the lives of
Haitian children are restored to normalcy and stability.
Learn more about how KIND is helping Haitian Children
Advocacy Update: Helping, Fixing, Funding
May 11, 2009
KIND has been advocating on behalf of unaccompanied children on
a number of fronts, from working to ensure funding for vital
services, to providing input on new legislation.
Read More...
Escaping the Traffickers’ Grasp
May 11, 2009
"Mei"* is a young girl from
China. Because of the sensitivity of her case, not many personal
details can be shared, but it is likely that she was trafficked
from China. There is evidence that the girl's parents agreed to pay
"snakeheads," or human traffickers, almost $100,000 to have her
brought to the United States. Mei's family is very poor. They told
Mei that she could "help" to pay back the money by working off the
debt in the U.S. In other words, it appears that Mei-a child with
no skills and no English ability-was sent to the U.S. for forced
labor.
Read More...
Letter from KIND Executive Director Wendy Young
May 04, 2010
I continue to marvel at the growth of KIND - both in terms of
the number of children who come to us for assistance and in the
number of volunteers who want to work with us and help
unaccompanied children.
Considering the enormous needs, it's no real surprise that our
caseload continues to rise. As of the end of March 2010, KIND was
in the process of serving more than 1,000 children. And we have no
doubt that many more need assistance. Special Immigrant Juvenile
Status - for children who have been abused, abandoned or neglected
- continues to be the form of relief most commonly sought. You'll
read about a young girl from China who is seeking such
protection.
Read More...
From ED Wendy Young – Happy Birthday KIND!
November 06, 2009
Having recently passed the first anniversary of KIND's founding
- October 17 - I am proud to report that KIND has achieved numerous
milestones in its one year of operations.
We now have a talented and dedicated national staff of 15, have
partnered with 60 law firms, and have reached more than 550
children and trained nearly 900 lawyers. The dedication and
enthusiasm of the pro bono attorneys we work with never ceases to
inspire and impress me. We have won important and in some cases
groundbreaking victories in a number of children's cases around the
country. We are honored to have an extremely accomplished new Board
of Directors. We're making inroads in advocacy on policies that
affect unaccompanied children.
Read More...
Making a Firm Commitment to Unaccompanied Children
November 06, 2009
Paul Hastings is going above and beyond the call of duty to help
unaccompanied children in the United States. The firm has taken on
many cases, and, without regard to the potential relief available,
its attorneys have worked relentlessly to ensure that their child
clients are provided high-quality legal representation and are
active and informed participants in their proceedings.
Read More...
KIND at the Clinton Global Initiative
November 06, 2009
KIND was a featured nongovernmental organization at this year's
Clinton Global
Initiative (CGI) in New York City. The CGI, which was held in
late September, brings together heads of state, philanthropists,
foundations, government and business leaders, scholars, and NGO
directors to work together to analyze, discuss, and debate possible
solutions to urgent global issues.
KIND committed to training 500 lawyers in the coming year,
partnering with at least 25 new law firms and corporations to
provide pro bono support, and serving 2,100 children by 2011.
Read More...
Partnering on Many Fronts
November 06, 2009
Troutman Sanders
is not just working with KIND to help provide pro bono
representation to unaccompanied children. The law firm is also
helping KIND underscore the lack of representation for
unaccompanied refugee children nationwide.
The Washington office of Troutman Sanders, which, as a KIND
Partner, has taken five cases, co-hosted a panel with KIND on the
critical need for pro bono legal representation of unaccompanied
children during National Pro Bono
Week, which took place October 25 to 31.
Read More...
KIND Staff Meet for First Time in D.C.
November 06, 2009
KIND staff from around the country came together for the first
time in July for a KIND staff retreat, hosted by the law firm of
Holland & Knight. The four-day event in Washington, D.C.,
emphasized team-building, professional development, and problem
solving to help KIND staff work together more effectively and
efficiently in the year ahead.
"With a continually growing caseload and an expanding team, it
was vital that we discuss both the successes and challenges of our
work, and how to move forward so we can best serve unaccompanied
children in need," said KIND Executive Director Wendy Young.
Read More...
KIND Welcomes New Board of Directors
November 06, 2009
KIND Board of Directors Co-chairs Brad Smith and Angelina Jolie
presided over KIND's first board meeting in June to great
success.
Smith and Jolie welcomed the prestigious new members:
philanthropist Howard Buffett; former Lost Boy of Sudan John Bul
Dau; Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sonia Nazario; migration
expert and Migration Policy Institute co-founder Kathleen Newland;
former Assistant Secretary of State Ellen Sauerbrey; and former
Member of Congress and partner at Holland & Knight Gerry
Sikorski.
Read More...
San Diego Union-Tribune Letter by Wendy Young
Letter to the editor:
Re: Return of 3 Mexican Teens to the US on Humanitarian Parole
Read More...
Houston Chronicle Op-Ed by Wendy Young
June 14, 2009
Help's out there for immigrant kids
By Wendy Young
Juan was 16 years old when he fled Guatemala for the United
States to escape a life of abuse. His alcoholic father regularly
beat him and forced him to work from a young age. Juan endured
severe hardship on his journey to the U.S., and often wondered if
he'd survive. Juan (not his real name) ended up in immigration
court in Texas, where authorities are seeking to send him back to
Guatemala
Read More...
Letter from the Executive Director
June 03, 2009
As Executive Director, I write to share with you some of KIND's
exciting advances and achievements.
I am pleased to report that KIND has secured top talent for our
Washington, DC, headquarters. We are thrilled to introduce Abigail
Price as our Deputy and National Legal Services Director. Abby
comes to us from the International Rescue Committee, where she was
the Global Advisor on the Prevention of Abuse and Exploitation. We
have also hired a Communications Director and a Programs and
Operations Associate. In addition, we have two new Pro Bono
Coordinators, one in Boston and one in Baltimore, and five KIND
Fellows who are hosted by our partner nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs). You can read more about Abby and our other new staff below.
Lastly, but equally important, we have 43 law firms and
corporate law departments who have pledged their time, talent
and financial resources, enabling KIND to broaden and deepen its
reach to more unaccompanied children in need.
Read More...
Case Spotlight: Heather and Jerry's Story
June 03, 2009
Volunteer attorney Heather Condon was shocked to read about the
years of abuse 12-year-old Jerry* suffered from family members in
his home country. "His story gripped me," she said. As an associate
at Howrey LLP, Heather read about Jerry on a list of potential pro
bono cases and knew in her heart that she had to commit to helping
him.
"He has had no parental support since he was 6 years old,"
Heather said. "Abuse was an everyday, common occurrence. He had no
one to protect him. He was in a desperate situation."
Although Jerry is a young teenager, he looks more like an
8-year-old, his small body often lost in an oversize T-shirt. He
makes up for his small stature, however, with an enormous smile
that lights up his entire face when he is pleased about something,
which is more and more often these days.
* Name changed to protect the child's identity
Read More...
From KIND Board Co-Chair
June 03, 2009
Welcome to the second edition of KIND's newsletter. KIND has
made significant progress towards helping unaccompanied children
these last several months, as you will read about below. But I
first wanted to thank all of our generous supporters, including the
law firms and corporate law departments that make our work
possible, particularly during these challenging economic times. We
are grateful for the intense focus our firm partners are giving to
their pro bono commitments, and for the close cooperation we are
enjoying with nongovernmental organizations, which is critical to
the model KIND is creating.
We look forward to working with you more in the future as KIND
grows and as we extend our reach to even more children in need.
Brad Smith
Read More...
KIND Advocates for TVPRA
June 03, 2009
KIND is working hard to ensure that the William Wilberforce
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA),
which became law in December, translates into changes to protect
children's lives and futures.
"The TVPRA is a big step forward towards protecting
unaccompanied children," says KIND Executive Director Wendy Young.
"We have to make sure its good intensions are acted upon and that
we see a real difference in the treatment of these children."
Read More...
KIND is Growing!
June 03, 2009
Abigail Price is KIND's Deputy and National Legal Services
Director. Ms. Price comes to KIND with a wide range of immigration
and refugee protection experience. In her most recent role, Abby
was the International Rescue Committee's Global Advisor on the
Prevention of Abuse and Exploitation, helping to stop abuse and
exploitation of beneficiaries by humanitarian actors. Abby has also
served as an advocate and representative for children, and worked
as an advisor and director on immigration and refugee protection
issues for numerous nongovernmental organizations, including CLINIC
and Church World Service. Please read more about Abby and our new
Communications Director, Program and Operations Associate, Pro Bono
Coordinator in Boston and Pro Bono Coordinator in Baltimore.
Read More...
Miami Herald Letter to Editor by Wendy Young
March 30, 2009
SECTION: A; Pg. 20
Kids used as bait
Re Carol Marbin Miller's March 27 article Family group
blamed for turning in immigrants:
As a nation that defines itself by its family values, it is
unconscionable that the United States continues to implement our
immigration laws in a way that disregards the best interests of
children and leads to the forcible separation of families.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement must make clear to
agencies with which it has agreements that a child's well-being
should be considered foremost in all cases, and that children
should never be used as bait to lure their family members in for
arrest.
Causing fear of child welfare agencies in immigrant communities
will bring great harm to children and could endanger their
lives.
This is no way to solve our immigration issues and no way to
treat children.
WENDY YOUNG, Executive Director, Kids in Need
of Defense, Washington. D.C.
Read More...
KIND Welcomes New Executive Director
KIND is pleased to announce the appointment of its founding
Executive Director, Wendy Young. Ms. Young brings
decades of extensive immigration policy experience to her role at
KIND. Most recently, she served as Chief Counsel on Immigration
Policy in the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Border
Security and Refugees for Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
Read More...
Trafficking Victims Protection Act
On December 23, 2008, President Bush signed into law the William
Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection and Reauthorization Act
of 2008 ("TVPRA") which had been passed earlier in the month by
both the House and Senate. This bipartisan legislation contains a
plethora of fundamental procedural and substantive provisions to
protect unaccompanied children.
KIND applauds these provisions particularly as they promote and
facilitate pro bono representation, full and fair adjudication of
children's cases and humane treatment of children when
deported.
Read More...
KIND Pro Bono Coordinators Set to Begin In Region
The extensive and rigorous search for Pro Bono Coordinators has
yielded eight amazingly dedicated, talented and diverse attorneys
to lead, train, supervise and mentor pro bono volunteers in their
assigned regions. You will be hearing more from them in the
upcoming months but to find out more about each of them, visit the
About Us page on
the KIND website.
Read More...
Case Update
The compelling cases of Alex and Carlos, unaccompanied Mexican
indigenous child brothers, prominently featured in KIND's video
quickly captured the hearts of many.
Read More...
KIND's Partnerships Grow to New Heights
On October 17th KIND held its inaugural luncheon at the Grand
Hyatt in Washington, DC. In attendance were key representatives of
the legal community, Congress, executive branch agencies and
non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Speakers Brad Smith,
Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Microsoft; Mauricio
Vivero, Executive Director of Ayuda; and Ron Schechter, Partner at
Arnold & Porter, spoke to a standing-room crowd on the
importance of pro bono work for unaccompanied children within the
legal community and the urgent need for reform in immigration
policies and practices vis-à-vis this vulnerable population.
Read More...