Immigrant Children Issues - Essay Example

Immigrant Children Recent years have seen a sharp rise in the number of unaccompanied child immigrants entering the United States and this has been a source of serious concern for government as well as policy makers. The actions that need to be taken to bring this crisis under control have yet to be discovered by policymakers and this is essentially because the rise of unaccompanied child immigrants has taken them by surprise. A result has been that these children have ended up going through a system that does not take their special needs into consideration in decisions concerning whether to give them residency or to deport them back to their home countries. This paper seeks to show that consideration for needs of immigrant children is a reason for the government to provide them with public attorneys to represent them so that these children can gain proper legal advice to ensure they get a fair chance of restarting their lives. Most unaccompanied child immigrants come for Central American countries such as Honduras and Guatemala which have over the past few years come to be riddled with violence and insecurity to such an extent that they have essentially become failed states. Children in these countries have ended up becoming the victims of situations over which they have no control and a large number of them have been forced from school and into conducting illegal activities on behalf of the various gangs that have become prominent in Central America. A result has been that many of these children have had their lives taken away and have been forced to grow up too quickly because that is the only way through which they could achieve their survival. One would argue that their choice to come to the United States has, therefore, not been one made out of a need only for the need to achieve economic prosperity, but also to ensure that they are able to rebuild their lives in a manner that allows them to live away from the violence and poverty in their home countries (Scott 1). These children have to be treated in a responsible way that ensures that not only are all their immediate needs catered for, especially when one considers that age, but also that they are able to gain legal representation to ensure that they are allowed to build a life in the United States without the fear of being deported back to their home countries. Immigrant children need legal representation in order to make the courts understand that they have not come to the United States willingly but are victims of circumstances. One would argue that unaccompanied child immigrants are individuals who have been forced out of their homes by circumstances out of their control rather than those of their own making. The political situation in their home countries have deteriorated in recent years that these children have ended up living in constant fear for their lives as well as those of their families (Carlson, Cacciatore, and Klimek 259). A consequence of the insecurity rampant in these countries has been that many of them have chosen to brave thousands of miles of walking and at times travelling in dangerous public modes of transport in order to make it to the United States. Under such circumstances, these individuals cannot be termed as being hostile to the interests of the United States. Rather, they have the right to be heard fairly and assured of their safety and well being in the country through the government taking the initiative to provide public attorneys to represent them in court (Regional Office United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for the United States and the Caribbean 15). The welfare of these children has to be given top priority because this is the only way through which they can be able to achieve the peace of mind that has for so long been deprived them in their home countries. Through the intervention of public attorneys, their living conditions in shelters can be greatly improved since the rights of these children will have to be put in into consideration by the attorneys representing them. When these children come to the United States, they do so because they believe that this country is the only place where their rights as human beings are going to be respected (Carlson, Cacciatore, and Klimek 259). One would therefore argue that their not being provided with legal representation means that their rights are being violated since they do not have the knowledge necessary to ensure that they represent themselves well. The rights of immigrant children have to be respected at all times and it is for this reason that the government has the responsibility of providing them with representation. If these children are not provided the needed representation, it is possible that their lack of knowledge concerning the American legal system might lead to their being deported back to their home countries (Semple). Such a scenario does not often turn out well for them because they end up being driven further into gang violence or having their lives threatened because they have not cleared debts owed to human traffickers. The American stance over the decades has been that it stands for human rights both within and outside the country. It is for this reason that it is essential for the government to take an active part in not only defending immigrant children, but also to ensure that they are provided with all that they need once they get into the country. Through its appointing public attorneys to represent immigrant children, the government will be able to fulfil its duty towards them because they will for the first time receive the representation that they have been denied in their home countries; hence, ensuring the preservation of their basic human rights. Unaccompanied immigrant children for the most part qualify for legal status within the country. This is because these children, by their act of escaping violence and poverty in their home countries, are essentially refugees (Kanics, Hernandez, and Touzenis 143). Their refugee status within the United States; therefore, allows them to be given all the aid possible to ensure that their lives are comfortable. However, legal status within the country cannot be easily achieved without legal representation because without it, immigrant children have only a slim chance of convincing courts about their urgent need to be given asylum. As refugees, immigrant children can make a new life for themselves within the United States because they cannot go back to their countries until such a time as the situation improves. Unaccompanied children, especially those that are either orphans, from poor backgrounds, or whose parents do are irresponsible have a right to live in the United States as well as legal representation because this is the only way through which they can rebuild their lives. The intervention of attorneys in their cases would help a great deal in ensuring that they are well treated and in the case where they have relatives within the country, that they are reunited with them. Legal representation also allows for there to be follow ups on the welfare of these children over a significant period of time to ensure their wellbeing. In conclusion, the discussion above has shown that unaccompanied child immigrants need legal representation for diverse reasons. Primary among these is that they are more often than not forced immigrants escaping conditions beyond their control. Furthermore, these children are often victims or are threatened with violence in their home countries and need legal representation in order to establish the facts concerning their lives. Moreover, legal representation is a basic human right which should not be denied immigrant children because they have a right to international protection. Finally, the legal status of these children as refugees has to be recognised and this can only be done through legal representation in court. Works Cited Carlson, Bonnie E., Cacciatore, Joanne, and Klimek, Barbara. "A Risk and Resilience Perspective on Unaccompanied Refugee Minors." Social work 57.3 (2012): 259-69. Kanics, Jyothi, Hernandez, Daniel, and Touzenis, Kristina. Migrating alone: unaccompanied and separated childrens migration to Europe. New York: UNESCO, 2010. Print. Regional Office United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for the United States and the Caribbean. “Children on the Run: Unaccompanied children leaving Central America and Mexico and the Need for International Protection”. unhcrwashington.org. Washington, D.C.: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 2014. Scott, Stephanie. Resilience in Undocumented, Unaccompanied Children. Ann Arbor, MI: Proquest, 2009. Print. Semple, Kirk. "Youths Facing Deportation to Be Given Legal Counsel". New York Times, 6 June 2014.Web. 12 Dec. 2014 Read More