2024 Justice Fellow Trez Ataia, a Fellow at Catholic Charities Dallas, writes about the importance of legal representation for unaccompanied children and the impact of funding cuts. Trez is part of the Unaccompanied Children Program, which is currently funded by the federal government, but remains at risk. Without funding, more than 2,000 children represented by IJC Fellows, like Trez, are left with no representation in immigration court, forced to navigate the system by themselves. Read more from Trez: https://justicecorps.org/news/every-chid-deserves-to-feel-safe-trez-ataia/ #IJCFellows #immigrationlaw #ProtectKids (fb)

One of the most powerful defenses a child has against labor or sex trafficking in the United States is having a trusted advocate with whom they can speak. The attorney-client relationship fosters trust, allowing children to confide in their lawyers about their experiences, which can lead to timely interventions and safety planning. When a child has experienced trauma or exploitation by adults in the past, building trust takes time and requires training and patience. A one-time legal consultation does not provide the same benefits as a long-term trusting relationship with an attorney. 2024 Justice Fellow Destiny Taylor shares her experiences building trust with a young client. "At only fifteen, my client fled her home country because of systemic gender based violence in her indigenous community. In a perfect world, my client would have told me this sentence during our first meeting. However, we do not live, or practice law, in an idealized reality. Piecing together my client’s story was something that took multiple meetings where I reassured my client that what she told me was confidential, and that I was here to support her however I could. I suspected that, as an indigenous young woman, she had a unique experience in her community, but I needed her to tell me this. I firmly believe that as advocates we do not speak for our clients. We do not “give a voice” to “voiceless” people. But it is our professional responsibility to encourage and embolden our clients to speak out and advocate for themselves, and in turn, their communities." #IJCFellows (fb)