For Media Inquiries, please contact: Megan McKenna, Senior Director of Communications and Community Engagement or Alex Pender, Communications Manager.
For more children's stories from KIND's Voices That Matter Most project, click here
Jennifer Tomsen, Greenberg Traurig LLP
“When I met Kelly for the first time, she was shy, and it naturally took a while for her to open up to me. After some time, she began to trust me and spoke more about the conditions that caused her to migrate to the United States unaccompanied.” -Jennifer Tomsen, Greenberg Traurig LLP
Renee Erickson, Sachi Jepson & Veronica Knapp, Hogan Lovells LLP
“I cannot imagine what it must be like for a child to be alone in a foreign country, facing language barriers and forced to represent himself in deportation proceedings.” Renee Erickson, Hogan Lovells LLP
Norma: “I had no one to help or protect me”
“My only escape was to come to the United States where I could be far away from the people who were hurting me and where I thought I would be safe.” – Norma, Central America
Fleeing Persecution, Finding Safety
“Going through the immigration process can be someone’s worst experience ever, especially if you don’t have family or friends to help you.” – Arian, Eastern Europe
Escaping the Traffickers’ Grasp
Mei* is a young girl from China. Because of the sensitivity of her case, not many personal details can be shared, but it is likely that she was trafficked from China. There is evidence that
Four-year Haitian girl finds help in US
“Fifi, what do you want to be when you grow up?” “I want to be a judge, Judge Fifi” – Fifi, Haiti (4 years old)
Jeannette’s Struggle to Find a Pro Bono Attorney
“It was kind of like my dream was becoming true and I finally had a lawyer because I always dreamed of that. Bill was the reason for this, he helped me find a shelter, and he is helping me with the process of getting my papers.” – Jeannette, Guinea
KIND: Making a Real Difference for Children Alone
Shinelle Finds a World of Opportunity
“Joe and KIND are in my heart. If not for them, I thought I was dead – there would be no more to my life back in Trinidad.” –Shinelle, Trinidad
Claudio
“I wasn’t safe in my country, that’s why I left. I was trying to save my life. ” – Claudio, Central America