Unaccompanied [illegal alien] immigrant kids come to Colorado
[...] Servicios de La Raza is a human services group in Denver that is working with different national organizations to help some of these unaccompanied immigrant children who crossed the border find relatives in Colorado.
"Reunification is a highly emotional time," Gonzales [Rudy Gonzales, executive director of Servicios de La Raza] said. "We get these children re-unified and we get them if they need human service referrals for whatever, counseling, mental health care, food."
Schools are also ready to receive some of these children. The Adams 14 School District in Commerce City and Denver Public Schools both have programs in place for children who don't speak any English with a variety of social issues.
"The first step is just getting them to trust again because they've been so mistreated by systems or by people that they're very reluctant to trust," Pat Sanchez, superintendent of Adams 14 Schools, said. "I think that takes a while to break through." ...
Organizations like Servicios de La Raza are not allowed to tell their numbers, but Gonzales says children are continually arriving in Colorado and more are expected in the coming months ...
"We also get them legal assistance and we insure that they follow up with immigration court," Gonzales said. "We're a country of due process and we cannot deny them that. We have to honor due process for these children to identify, if in fact, they are refugees" ...
CAIRCO Research
The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)
Administration for Children and Families
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Aerospace Building
901 D Street, SW
Washington, DC 20447
Phone: 202-401-9246 Fax: 202-401-5487
400.112 Child welfare services for refugee children.