Immigration
The impact of draconian federal policies on Massachusetts residents are well-documented though little attention has been paid to the impact of Massachusetts state and municipal government agency policies and practices on undocumented children and children with undocumented parents. Undocumented children regularly interact with state and local agencies, and agencies’ policies and practices often decide the fate of whether a young person will come to the attention of federal immigration authorities, and ultimately whether they are deported or not.
Young people face increased threats of immigration detention and deportation for normal adolescent behavior, or even their mere presence in the country. This is a fundamental issue of human rights, and the lack of legal counsel for young people in immigration cases is deeply concerning. The pervasive race and ethnic disparities in our state systems further exacerbates the impact of state and federal policies on undocumented children of color.
When a young person is sent into the juvenile legal system, the ramifications of that decision remain with them far beyond the conclusion of the court case. There are "collateral consequences" of a youth being found delinquent in a juvenile court matter that can create barriers to education, employment, military service, and public benefits, greatly hampering the ability to learn and move on youthful mistakes as they step into adulthood. For immigrant youth, especially those who are undocumented, there are specific and significant additional collateral consequences of a juvenile or criminal court case. These include being pushed into a pipeline to immigration detention and deportation for adolescent behavior or being prevented, while still coming of age, from ever being able to gain United States citizenship.
For more on the link between immigration and juvenile justice click below.