Articles:
- Future Of DACA Affecting Mental Health Of Young Undocumented Immigrants Martinez, N. 2018, January 5. Houston Public Media University of Houston.
- “Immigrant & Refugee Children: A Guide for Educators and School Support Staff” “This guide was created for educators, school support staff and service providers who teach, mentor and help open the doors of opportunity for undocumented youth and unaccompanied and refugee children currently living in the United States. ” Source: American Federation of Teachers. (32 pages)
- New York Immigration Coalition. In addition to advocacy, the “NYIC provides multilingual informational materials on immigration law, citizenship requirements, school registration, healthcare access, and voting rights.”
- New York State New Americans Hotline: 1-800-566-7636 is available to anyone with immigration questions or impacted by ICE raids.
- “One Of The Nation’s Poorest Districts Has Found A Way To Help Immigrant Students” “Students in the Syracuse City School District speak more than 70 different languages and four of the most common among them are Nepali, Karen, Somali, and Arabic. ” “Schools are under federal pressure to translate for immigrant families. Here’s how one of America’s poorest school districts is trying to find a solution.” Editor’s note: Hopefully these are opportunities & services from School Social Workers or at least could be. Source: . The Hechinger Report. Reprinted by the Huffington Post.
- “Resource Guide: Supporting Undocumented Youth” Source: U.S. Department of Education. October 20, 2015. (63 pages)
- Guide to Higher Education for Undocumented Students. Source: 6/1/2021 Best Value Schools
- “Toolkit for ‘Immigrant and Refugee Children: A Guide for Educators and School Support Staff’ “ Source: Teaching Tolerance, Spring 2017
- The Trauma Of Family Separation Will Haunt Children For Decades By Stephanie Carnes, a bilingual licensed clinical social worker at a public high school in New York. 6/22/18
- “You are Welcome Here: Supporting Immigrant Students and Families” Source: Winter 2017-2018. American Education, Vol. 41, No. 4. pp. 4- 15.
- We Are All Immigrants: Supporting the Success of Immigrants in New York The state of New York provides numerous resources to assist immigrant families. Source: New York State, ny.gov
The Rights of Immigrant Students
- “Fact Sheet: Information on the Rights of All Children to Enroll in School” Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Education
- “Immigrant Students Rights to Attend Public School” Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA)
- “Welcoming Immigrant Students to School” Infographic of students rights and other resources. Source. Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA)
- The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights “The Young Center is a champion for the best interests of children who arrive in the United States on their own, from all corners of the world. We serve as trusted allies for these children by accompanying them through court proceedings, advocating for their best interests, and standing for the creation of a dedicated juvenile immigrant justice system that ensures the safety and well-being of every child.”
Resources for Latino and Undocumented Families:
As School Social Workers who advocate for policy change, we have also included samples of district level resolutions to consider. As districts review policy and guidelines in supporting immigrant students and their families, be sure to “be at the table” during these discussions to include the vital role of the School Social Worker.
- Nationwide Resources for Latino and Undocumented Families Resources are in English as well as Spanish. Source. undocuscholars.com. Betancourt-Macias Family Scholarship Foundation
- NYC & Tri-County Areas’ Resources for Vulnerable Populations 13 pages of resources. Updated every Wednesday by health.nyc.gov.
- New York State Youth Leadership Council Emergency fund for undocumented folks.
- RAISE: Undocu Workers Fund NYC The Undocu Workers Fund is a grassroots effort to provide monetary, immediate relief to individuals/families in mini-grants of $200
- State Senator Jessica Ramos COVID Resource Guide Spanish Version. 20 pages of resources. Updated 4/6/2020. Senator Ramos
- White Plains/Westchester Resources List In Spanish. 24 pages of resources. Source: City of White Plains?
Establishing School Policies to Protect Immigrant Students
School districts across the country have been issuing resolutions and updating policies to protect students’ rights in light of possible federal immigration enforcement activities in their schools.
Click here for web page of Resources, Articles and Sample Policies.
Legal Advocates
- The Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC) “CLINIC tackles problems faced by low-income immigrants and our member agencies that can only be resolved through advocacy, education, pro bono representation, litigation, and media. CLINIC’s Advocacy section identifies legal trends and issues affecting immigrants and pursues responsive solution.”
- ImmigrationLawHelp. ImmigrationLawHelp.org is a searchable online directory of over 1,000 FREE or low-cost nonprofit immigration legal services providers in all 50 states. Only nonprofits that are BIA recognized or have attorneys on staff are included in the directory. Users can search [this site] by state, zip code, or detention facility. Users can also refine their search by types and areas of legal assistance provided, populations served, languages spoken, other areas of legal assistance, and non-legal services provided. Source: Immigration Advocates Network
- Kids in Need of Defense “KIND staff and our pro bono attorney partners at law firms, corporations, and law schools nationwide represent unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children in their deportation proceedings. ” “KIND serves as the leading organization for the protection of children who enter the U.S. immigration system alone and strives to ensure that no such child appears in immigration court without representation. We achieve fundamental fairness through high-quality legal representation and by advancing the child’s best interests, safety, and well-being.”
- The Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
- The National Immigration Law Center The National Immigration Law Center is the only national legal advocacy organization in the United States exclusively dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of low-income immigrants and their families. The center envisions a United States in which all people—regardless of their race, gender, or immigration or economic status—are treated equally, fairly and humanely; have equal access to justice, education, government resources and economic opportunities; and are able to achieve their full potential as human beings.
- New York Legal Service Providers View our directory of low-cost legal service providers. Search the directory by specialty, by languages spoken or region using the filter Source: New York Immigration Coalition
- New York List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers To search nationally, click here. Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Supporting Immigrant Student Resources: NYSSSWA Membership Dollars At Work
The New York State School Social Workers’ Association (NYSSSWA) is the only professional association dedicated solely to the visibility and viability of School Social Workers in New York State. Members are essential to our ability to support you and our profession. If you are not a member, join us today so we can continue to provide advocacy and services on your behalf.
Learn More About The Benefits Included in a Membership!