How Comfort Cases Is Helping Unaccompanied Refugee Youth
How Comfort Cases Is Helping Unaccompanied Refugee Youth
In recent weeks, we have received numerous inquiries regarding the situation at the United States southern border. Many of our supporters want to know how we are supporting unaccompanied refugee minors and are urging us to do more to get Comfort Cases to children in government care.
In an effort to answer these questions, we would like to explain more about the intersection between foster care, unaccompanied refugee minors who have fled their countries of origin to enter the United States, and the population served by Comfort Cases.
Office of Refugee Resettlement's Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Program: Foster Care Placement & Services
The United States Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is responsible for providing foster care placement and services to eligible unaccompanied refugee minors who have entered the United States after their release from U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP). Under current law, this length of time should be no more than 72 hours; however, at this time, it is reported that it is taking up to 10 days or more for youth to move from the responsibility and care of CBP to ORR. Once this transfer is complete, these children enter the U.S. foster care system.
If a child is separated from their family when entering the U.S. and they are not able to be reunited, these youth are reclassified as unaccompanied refugee minors. Unaccompanied refugee youth are placed into the Office of Refugee Resettlement's Unaccompanied Minor Refugee Program (URM).
Comfort Cases’ Mission
Comfort Cases’ mission is to inspire communities to bring dignity and hope to youth in foster care and all Comfort Cases programs focus on serving youth in the foster care system. Unaccompanied refugee minors, including refugee youth who become classified as unaccompanied refugee minors after being separated from their families, enter foster care through provider agencies in 17 states. These providers are eligible to receive Comfort Cases and Comfort XLs to support these youth in care.
Comfort Cases is not able to provide cases to accompanied refugee youth who are with their families nor to unaccompanied migrant youth in holding centers under the care of CBP. We are only able to provide Comfort Cases once these children are placed in the U.S. foster care system.
How Comfort Cases’ Serves Refugee Minors in Foster Care
Since June 2018, Comfort Cases has actively worked with programs serving unaccompanied refugee minors in foster care. More than 1,000 Comfort Cases have been delivered to provider agencies and we continue to fulfill requests every day in order to get our cases into the hands of these youth in foster care.
Thousands of donors like you have stepped up to help fund these efforts through your generous contributions and we are incredibly appreciative. If you are interested in supporting these efforts and the entire Comfort Cases mission, please visit ComfortCases.org/donate.
Thank you for your continued support.