San Francisco gives $1.8M more for unaccompanied immigrant minors
San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee. SF.Gov
SAN FRANCISCO – City Hall announced $1.8 million in additional funding to the San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative (SFILDC) to support legal services for unaccompanied immigrant minors in San Francisco.
Over the last year, the Mayor’s Office has worked closely with the Board of Supervisors, City Departments, Central American Consulates and the SFILDC to address the record levels of children and families fleeing from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
Initial funding approved by Mayor Edwin Lee had supported the legal representation of 414 children in the San Francisco immigration courts.
The SFILDC reports families and unaccompanied children experienced traumatic experiences and connected them to needed social services such as mental health, medical homes and other critical needs.
“As the son of immigrant parents, helping immigrant families succeed in San Francisco is a deep and personal issue to me,” said Lee. “I applaud the efforts of the San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative and, I will continue to support federal comprehensive immigration reform so our immigrant families can succeed in our cities, without fear of deportation and remain on a path to citizenship.”
The San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative was given $1.8 million in additional funding for the legal defense of unaccompanied immigrant minors.
“Children fleeing Central America and Mexico are forced to migrate due to extreme poverty, and violence in the region. The journey to the United States through Mexico often leaves children and women vulnerable to human trafficking and violations of their basic human rights,” said Lariza Dugan-Cuadra, executive director of the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) and fiscal lead of the SFILDC.
Funding the SFILDC ensures that unaccompanied minors receive legal representation in San Francisco’s Immigration Courts, are able to enroll in school and obtain critical social services.
