Letter to Brigida Benitez, President of the District of Columbia Bar - Pro Bono Services for Unaccompanied Minors Crossing Border, Coming to D.C.

Letter

Dear Ms. Benitez:

I appreciate that the District of Columbia Bar has long been instrumental in advocating for and providing pro bono aid to the most vulnerable and needy residents. I was pleased to learn that the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Program held a meeting in February with the Kids in Need of Defense, University Legal Services and the D.C. Office of the Attorney General to discuss how the D.C. legal community could assist unaccompanied minors. In light of the recent dramatic increase in the number of unaccompanied minors, I write to inquire about what the D.C. Bar is doing to help address their legal needs.

As you know, over 50,000 unaccompanied children have crossed the United States' border since October 2013. This number is expected to rise as these children attempt to escape the violence in their countries, particularly El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. I am very concerned about the increasing number of children crossing the border, particularly considering that the District has one of the largest Central American populations in the country. Many of these children and some parents crossing the border will not have access to legal assistance, nor are they prepared to navigate through the legal system. Currently, there are over 360,000 pending immigration cases in children and families are petitioning the courts to avoid deportation back to the countries they have fled. This backlog has resulted in waits of months, and even years, for cases to be heard by a judge. Thus far, 187 of the unaccompanied children have been discharged from the Department of Health and Human Services Unaccompanied Alien Children program and are now under the care and supervision of families in D.C.

Thank you for your consideration.

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