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More Than 1,000 Undocumented Migrant Youth Harbored In Louisiana Homes Awaiting Trial

thelensnola.org
Credit thelensnola.org

A new investigation from the Lens looks at the case of thousands of unaccompanied minors from Central American countries who are facing court proceedings in New Orleans. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that more than 1,000 of these immigrant children have been placed in Louisiana homes. 

Federal immigration statistics gathered by Syracuse University show that most are likely in the New Orleans area.  By the end of June, there were about 1,200 pending juvenile immigration cases in the state. All were in New Orleans Immigration Court, located in an office tower downtown.

Loyola law professorHirokoKusudaand a group of law students are handling some of the cases pro bono through the Loyola Law Clinic. "They are not undocumented immigrants that are seeking benefits from the United States. They are refugees that should be accorded the assistance that help they deserve under the U.S. refugee law."

Louisiana has two immigration courts, but only the New Orleans court handles cases for people who are not being held in detention centers.

When children show up at the border alone, the federal government places them with relatives and sponsor families. And the New Orleans area is home to a relatively large number of Central Americans.

Around 81 percent of these kids don’t have a lawyer.Just 10 percent of unaccompanied minors without a lawyer are allowed to stay, compared to about half of those with a lawyer.

Copyright 2021 WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio. To see more, visit WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio.

As the new Coastal Reporter, Jesse Hardman will draw on 15 years of worldwide experience in radio, video and print journalism. As a radio reporter he has reported for NPR, BBC, and CBC, and for such familiar programs as Marketplace, This American Life, Latino USA, and Living on Earth. He served as a daily news reporter and news magazine producer for WBEZ in Chicago.