KIND logo with the Keeping Kids Safe: A seamless safety net for children on the move campaign logo.

child forced migration infographic with blue background

The system for protecting unaccompanied children is failing, putting children’s well-being at risk. Kids in Need of Defense’s (KIND) new campaign, Keeping Kids Safe: For Children on the Move, aims to reimagine and transform how we protect unaccompanied children in the United States and globally.    

KIND’s Keeping Kids Safe campaign is a 10-year initiative designed to transform outdated laws, shift conversations about child immigration to center child protection, and reform the way the current U.S. immigration system—and subsequently protection systems across the globe—treats children. KIND envisions a future in which unaccompanied children receive the protections they deserve. 

This campaign is the newest chapter in KIND’s longstanding efforts to promote laws and policies that protect vulnerable children throughout their migration journey. By engaging a broad spectrum of policymakers and the public, Keeping Kids Safe aims to systemically reform the child immigration process so that it puts children’s safety and well-being at the center. 

Campaign FAQ

KIND envisions a future in which unaccompanied children receive the protections they deserve. Currently, that is far from reality. 

Across the globe, a record number of children are displaced and forced to migrate due to war, poverty, gang violence, disease, climate change, and political upheaval. In 2021, over 36 million children were forcibly displaced from their homes. More than half of the world’s 26 million registered refugees are children. Some of these children migrate alone, without a parent or guardian. In 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection apprehended over 150,000 unaccompanied children at or near the United States’ border, a near tenfold increase from the 16,067 apprehensions in 2011.  

Laws and policies governing the treatment of unaccompanied children seeking safety in the United States are inflexible, outdated, and do not adequately protect these vulnerable children. When unaccompanied children arrive to the United States, they confront an adversarial, punitive immigration system that does not consider their best interests, age, traumatic experiences, or language barriers—all without the guarantee of legal representation. Many children are returned to their countries of origin with no support system to help them reintegrate safely. Children who are permitted to remain in the United States often do not have the resources or capacity to navigate the challenges of building a new life in a new country. 

A core set of principles guide this campaign and its policy priorities.  Click here to learn more about our campaign principles.

updated policy campaign infographic

KIND has assembled a Leadership Council to ensure that the campaign is informed by a broad and deeply knowledgeable group of expert advisors. The Leadership Council will play a crucial role in the Keeping Kids Safe campaign by advising KIND on children-first, pragmatic policy solutions and recommendations. These experts and visionary leaders will also help KIND build broad support for transforming the child protection landscape for unaccompanied children through public engagement and outreach to policy makers. 

June 7, 2023

Keeping Kids Safe Campaign Fact Sheet

Across the globe, a record number of children are migrating alone due to war, poverty, violence, disease, climate change, and political upheaval. In 2021, over 36 million children were forcibly displa...

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June 7, 2023

Keeping Kids Safe Campaign Principles

Kids in Need of Defense’s (KIND) Keeping Kids Safe campaign seeks to transform the systems for protecting child migrants. Too many of the world’s children are at risk. War, poverty, disease, clima...

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January 16, 2024

U.S. Policies and Laws Affecting Children on the Move

Laws Affecting Children on the Move KIND created this timeline presents a brief overview of international and domestic agreements laws affecting children on the move. Under current immigration laws, c...

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May 5, 2023

Children on the Move: A Guide to Common Definitions and Terms

Legal definitions of a child and related terms may vary across domestic and international law and may also differ from the phrases used to describe children in the media or popular culture. KIND creat...

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May 5, 2023

Navigating the U.S. Immigration System

Navigating the U.S. immigration system is extremely challenging, especially for children alone.   KIND created this helpful infographic to show the process unaccompanied and accompanied children go ...

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January 5, 2024

Keeping Kids Safe: KIND’s New Campaign to Transform the Immigration System for Unaccompanied Children

Discover KIND’s groundbreaking initiative, “Keeping Kids Safe: A Seamless Safety Net for Children on the Move.” This ten-year campaign aims to revolutionize child immigration laws, p...

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December 21, 2023

Kids in Need of Defense Applauds DOJ Creation of Specialized Children’s Dockets in Immigration Courts

The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), under the Department of Justice, has just issued groundbreaking guidance for children’s immigration proceedings. This pivotal update establish...

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January 4, 2024

U.S. Executive Office for Immigration Review Strengthens Fairness of Immigration Court for Children

Responding to KIND’s advocacy, the U.S. Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have jointly issued a directive mandating the establishm...

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Children’s Court Act of 2023

New Legislation

The bipartisan Immigration Court Efficiency and Children’s Court Act of 2023 would establish a Children’s Court within the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) focused on the adjudication of unaccompanied children’s removal proceedings. Learn more about this pivotal piece of legislation.

Child Protection Advocacy Series | #KeepingKidsSafe

Dive into our comprehensive Child Protection Advocacy Series, where we unravel the importance of the Children’s Court Bill and explore key aspects of child safety. Each video in this playlist sheds light on critical issues surrounding child protection, legal reforms, and the ongoing efforts dedicated to #KeepingKidsSafe. Stay informed, share and join the conversation, and be a part of the movement to safeguard children.

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Leadership Council in the News

KIND has assembled a Leadership Council to ensure that the campaign is informed by a broad and deeply knowledgeable group of expert advisors.  For a full list of all Leadership Council members, click here

Learn more about the campaign

For more information and to contact the campaign, please e-mail: KeepingKidsSafe@supportkind.org 

To sign up for KIND’s monthly newsletter, The Defender, click here.