Children are Being Denied Entry at the U.S. Border

KIND decries plan to temporarily suspend immigration to the U.S. in a new Trump Executive Order

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COVID-19 Protections for Kids

We are calling for commonsense precautions to protect unaccompanied children and the professionals who serve them

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Get Involved

Together we can take a stand to protect migrant youth in crisis. Get involved with KIND today

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Protect Children and Asylum Seekers

KIND is urging the the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to to exempt unaccompanied children from the recent southern border closures.

Our Mission & Vision

A world in which children’s rights and well-being are protected as they migrate alone in search of safety.

We will achieve our vision by:

Ensuring that no child appears in immigration court without high quality legal representation;

Advancing laws, policies, and practices that ensure children’s protection and uphold their right to due process and fundamental fairness; and

Promoting in countries of origin, transit, and destination durable solutions to child migration that are grounded in the best interests of the child and ensure that no child is forced to involuntarily migrate.

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What We Do

Legal Services

Our Legal Services team partners with major law firms, corporations, and law schools to provide pro bono attorneys to represent unaccompanied children referred to KIND.

Policy and Advocacy

Our Policy and Advocacy team works to promote the fair and appropriate treatment of unaccompanied children by educating policymakers and the public about experiences and conditions that force children to migrate alone.

Family Separation Response

Our Family Separation Response team is addressing the profound crisis caused by the Trump Administration taking children away from their parents upon arrival at the U.S. border during its “Zero Tolerance Policy.”

Social Services

Our Social Services team provides holistic support for migrant children to address their traumas as they adjust to a new country, new language, and new homes.

Voices That Matter Most

The Voices That Matter Most project empowers immigrant and refugee children by helping them develop their personal stories of fear, flight, resilience, and hope to claim their power.

International Programs

Our International team educates the public on root causes of child migration, provides programming to address drivers of child migration, and extends legal representation to children on the move and promotes standards for their protection.

Our Impact

Ways To Get Involved

Donate

Your help could mean the difference between a child who needs protection being sent back to their home country where their life may be in danger – and the child being able to stay in the U.S. to live in safety and freedom.

Advocate

We need to raise our collective voices to stop the Trump Administration’s injustice and cruelty against immigrant and refugee children and their families.

Learn

Read and share the latest news and information about the protection of immigrant and refugee children.

Fundraise

Start a fundraiser for KIND! Your involvement is critical to our success and offering immigrant and refugee children a fair day in court.

Get The Latest News

Feature Resource

KIND Fact Sheet

No child should ever face immigration court alone. Learn more about KIND, who we are, and what we do to protect unaccompanied migrant and refugee children with our KIND Fact Sheet.

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Feature Resource

The Border, Trafficking, and Risks to Unaccompanied Children

In the last decade, children and young families have become the face of migration at the U.S.-Mexico border. Tens of thousands of children have made the life-threatening journey from their countries alone; families have often come with small children—all to escape the violence from which they have no protection.  No one wants these children to […]

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Feature Media Hit

A New Report on Family Separations Shows the Depths of Trump’s Negligence

In June of 2018, at the height of the family-separation crisis at the southern border, Emily Kephart, an advocate at Kids in Need of Defense, was spending her days trying to locate children in government custody. Under a new policy called “zero tolerance,” the Department of Homeland Security was transferring parents apprehended at the border for criminal […]

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Feature Press Release

Historic Number of Children Arriving in U.S. in 2019 Demonstrates Failures of Current Policies

Nearly 70,000 migrant children have been held in government custody this year and are being held for significantly longer periods of time. KIND notes that the Administration’s policy of deterrence not only is ineffective, but that it is causing irreparable harm to thousands of children.

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Testimonials

"I wasn’t safe in my country, that’s why I left. I was trying to save my life."
Claudio Central America
"For me it was the draw of doing pro bono work at large but also this human rights issue. They have nowhere to go and they are forced to leave their homeland alone and to come here – without someone to represent them they could very easily be sent back."
Mary Bortscheller Associate, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll
"What resonates most for me is the fact that without KIND, more children would be forced to face our legal system alone and without representation. This should be, and for many of us is, simply unacceptable in our society today. We all have a responsibility to protect those who cannot protect themselves."
Kurt Hansson, Paul Hastings Global Vice Chairman, Litigation, Paul Hastings, and KIND Board Member
"This case reinforces for me the great privilege it is to represent these extraordinary young people. They give me far more than I could ever give them."
Charles Rysavy K&L Gates