Social workers are on the front lines, helping to provide child immigrants with food, shelter and health and mental health care.
The United States is facing a massive influx of unaccompanied child immigrants from Central America. Many of these children and teenagers are fleeing deplorable conditions at home, including gang violence, crime and extreme poverty. Others are victims of drug traffickers and sex trafficking/sexual violence.
Social workers are on the front lines, helping to provide these often traumatized children with food, shelter and health and mental health care. NASW has experts and resources to help you understand this issue and what must be done to help these children overcome this crisis.
Lara is director of the Consortium of Hispanic Agencies. She can give insight on the plight of immigrants and what social workers and others are doing on the front lines to help them.
Lusk, a professor at the University of Texas at El Paso School of Social Work, has worked in the field to help child immigrants and can talk about the challenges social workers on the ground face. Lusk has been interviewed by Fox News and El Diario about his experiences.
An NASW Senior Practice Associate, Torrico Meruvia can comment on what the public can do to support immigrant families. Children living in immigrant households are the fastest growing child population in the United States.
Wilson is director of the NASW Department of Social Justice and Human Rights. He can offer insight on what NASW and partner organizations are doing to address the issue of unaccompanied child immigrants.
Unaccompanied Migrant Children: Overview and Recommendations
Social Workers Support Young Immigrants’ DREAMS
NASW Immigration Policy Toolkit
Immigration and Refugee Resettlement
Multicultural Issues in Social Work - NASW Press
For more information or to arrange an interview with one of our experts, contact NASW Public Relations Manager Greg Wright at gwright@naswdc.org.