Soc Work. 2022 Jun 20;67(3):218-227. doi: 10.1093/sw/swac014.
From the point of apprehension by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the U.S.-Mexican border to their reunification with sponsors in U.S. communities, unaccompanied children (UC) face political, social, and economic conditions, heightening their risk for mental and physical health burdens that may be exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Such risk underscores the importance of social work practice and advocacy for the improved treatment and experiences of UC. This article uses a structural vulnerability conceptual lens to summarize the existing literature regarding UC and argues that UC's liminal immigration status, economic precarity, and lack of healthcare access place this group at high structural vulnerability during the pandemic. Further, this article identifies and describes three contexts of structural vulnerability of UC that are important points of social work intervention: (1) at the border, where migrant children are denied their legal right to seek protection; (2) in detention and shelter facilities; and (3) during reunification with sponsors. This article concludes with important practice and policy opportunities for social workers to pursue to obtain social justice for an important and highly vulnerable migrant child population.
从美国海关和边境保护局在美国-墨西哥边境的扣押点，到他们与美国社区的担保人团聚，无人陪伴的儿童（UC）面临着政治、社会和经济条件，增加了他们面临心理健康和身体健康负担的风险，而这种风险在 COVID-19 大流行期间可能会加剧。这种风险凸显了社会工作实践和倡导的重要性，以改善 UC 的待遇和体验。本文使用结构脆弱性概念视角，总结了关于 UC 的现有文献，并认为 UC 的边缘移民身份、经济不稳定和缺乏医疗保健机会，使他们在大流行期间处于高度的结构性脆弱状态。此外，本文还确定并描述了 UC 结构性脆弱的三个方面，这是社会工作干预的重要切入点：（1）在边境，移民儿童被剥夺了寻求保护的合法权利；（2）在拘留和收容设施中；（3）在与担保人团聚期间。本文最后提出了重要的实践和政策机会，供社会工作者争取为重要和高度脆弱的移民儿童群体争取社会正义。
