Stand with refugees this World Refugee Day

Refugee families deserve safety, dignity, and hope. Double your impact with a matching gift — up to $30,000!

GIVE NOW

The browser you are using is not supported. Please consider using a modern browser.

Skip Navigation
Act Now Donate
Start of main content.

News // Family Reunification

Global Refuge Testifies at Senate Hearing on Safety of Unaccompanied Migrant Children

Global Refuge logo

Global Refuge Staff

June 14, 2023

Thumbnail for a video entitled 'LIRS Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing: Ensuring the Safety & Well-Being of Unaccompanied Children'

At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Ensuring the Safety and Well-being of Unaccompanied Children,” Lorie Davidson, Vice President of Children and Family Services at Global Refuge, delivered expert testimony emphasizing the need for improved protections, additional resources, and legal representation to ensure the best interests of this particularly vulnerable population.

For 40 years, Global Refuge has worked alongside the government and with a national network of community-based partners to provide appropriate services for unaccompanied children, identify unique vulnerabilities to exploitation, and to protect their best interests.

Unaccompanied children are among the most vulnerable populations, and when they arrive in the U.S, they frequently have limited support and significant difficulty accessing services in their communities as a result of language and cultural barriers, and unfamiliarity with U.S laws designed to protect children.

Lorie Davidson, Vice President of Children and Family Services at Global Refuge

In her opening statement, Davidson also highlighted the U.S. government’s history of easing sponsor vetting requirements during periods of influx, notably in 2014, 2018 and 2021, leading to cases of exploitation.

“Rolling back background checks in times of influx cannot continue to be used as the solution to move children out of influx care facilities quickly,” said Davidson. “ORR must consistently and appropriately vet sponsors based on their relationship to the child 100% of the time.”

Finally, Davidson stressed the need for policy solutions to safeguard the best interests of children, including more robust protections, additional resources for post-release services, and access to legal representation.

“To ensure the safety and well-being of unaccompanied children in our community, Congress must focus on improving protections and ensuring adequate resources to provide all in-person post-release services immediately following release, and access to ongoing legal representation to safeguard against labor and other types of exploitation,” Davidson concluded.

Today's hearing comes in the wake of the end of Title 42's specious use for immigration enforcement, which Global Refuge has previously highlighted to Congress as greatly increasing family separation and historic numbers of unaccompanied children's arrival at the U.S. southern border.

Read Davidson’s full written testimony here.

The Latest

  • Press Release · Refugee Resettlement

    June 12, 2025

    Humanitarian Protections Revoked for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans

    Trump administration revokes humanitarian protections for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who lawfully entered the United States.

    Read More

  • News

    June 9, 2025

    New American Lending: Abdul and Zahra’s Story

    Abdul and Zahra’s search for a lender that understood their needs as refugees and as Muslims led them to a Global Refuge program called New American Lending.

    Read More

  • Press Release · Refugee Resettlement

    June 4, 2025

    Global Refuge Expresses Deep Concern Over Sweeping Travel Ban

    The Trump administration announced a sweeping new travel ban, fully restricting entry to nationals from twelve countries. Read Global Refuge's press release.

    Read More

  • News

    May 29, 2025

    A Mother’s Story: Valentina

    Across the country, refugee mothers are working every day to create safe, stable lives for their families in a place they’re just beginning to call home. Even as fewer new families are arriving in the U.S., the mothers already here continue to navigate daily challenges—finding work, securing housing, enrolling children in school—all while adjusting to life in a new culture. For Valentina,* seeing her daughter safe, happy, and thriving in the U.S. makes every hardship along the way feel worth it.

    Read More

  • News · Community Engagement

    May 29, 2025

    Fostering Joy: Misti and Megan’s Story

    In a time of immense uncertainty for refugees and other immigrants in communities across the country, many supporters of the work of welcome are stepping forward to do what they can—whether it’s donating money, volunteering their time, speaking out in support, or, as Global Refuge supporters Misti and Megan did, opening their hearts and home to foster one of the thousands of children who migrate to the U.S. alone each year.

    Read More

Related Posts

News · Family Reunification

What are Sanctuary Cities?

July 12th

More

News · Family Reunification

Global Refuge CEO Testifies to Congress On Behalf of Migrant Children

August 1st

More

Press Release · Family Reunification

Global Refuge calls for additional protections and support for unaccompanied migrant children

October 27th

More

Share

en en