Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA.
School of Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Mar 3;20(5):4496. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20054496.
In 2021, the United States saw an exponential influx of unaccompanied migrant children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Upon apprehension at the border, unaccompanied children are placed in the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) temporary shelter facilities. The ORR is responsible for locating, vetting, and releasing the children to their family, guardians, or a suitable sponsor. Undocumented parents seeking reunification may fear cross-examination and background checks. This study aimed to explore the experiences of undocumented families reunified with their children with the help of a community-based organization (CBO). A collective case study method was used to collect qualitative data from seven parents. Respondent parents expressed their rationale for allowing their children to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, their experience with the ORR, and the reasons they pursued community-based guidance. The results document the depth of trauma and difficulties parents of unaccompanied migrant children face with American service providers. It is recommended that immigration-related government agencies form relationships with culturally diverse organizations that are trusted by immigrant communities.
2021 年，美国迎来了大量无人陪伴的移民儿童穿越美墨边境。在边境被逮捕后，无人陪伴的儿童被安置在难民重新安置办公室 (ORR) 的临时收容所设施中。ORR 负责寻找、审查并将儿童交给他们的家人、监护人或合适的担保人。寻求团聚的无证父母可能担心受到盘问和背景调查。本研究旨在探讨在社区组织 (CBO) 的帮助下与子女团聚的无证家庭的经历。采用集体案例研究方法从七名父母那里收集定性数据。应答父母表达了他们允许孩子穿越美墨边境的理由、他们与 ORR 的经历以及他们寻求社区指导的原因。研究结果记录了无人陪伴的移民儿童的父母与美国服务提供者面临的创伤和困难的深度。建议移民相关政府机构与移民社区信任的文化多元化组织建立关系。
