Important Updates
Important Updates
July 14, 2025 | DenmarkDenmark: Positive Lists for Graduates and Skilled Workers Updated
July 15, 2025 | New ZealandNew Zealand: Forthcoming Relaxation of Work Rights for Student Visa Holders Announced
July 15, 2025 | New ZealandNew Zealand: Salary Thresholds Impacting Labour Market Test Exemptions and Visa Duration Updated
July 14, 2025 | Thailand Thailand: Mandatory Online Registration for Companies Using the Single Window System
July 14, 2025 | United StatesBusiness Standard: 11 Million US Visa Backlog Crushes Indian H-1B, Green Card Dreams: Decoded
July 14, 2025 | DenmarkDenmark: Positive Lists for Graduates and Skilled Workers Updated
July 15, 2025 | New ZealandNew Zealand: Forthcoming Relaxation of Work Rights for Student Visa Holders Announced
July 15, 2025 | New ZealandNew Zealand: Salary Thresholds Impacting Labour Market Test Exemptions and Visa Duration Updated
July 14, 2025 | Thailand Thailand: Mandatory Online Registration for Companies Using the Single Window System
July 14, 2025 | United StatesBusiness Standard: 11 Million US Visa Backlog Crushes Indian H-1B, Green Card Dreams: Decoded
July 14, 2025 | DenmarkDenmark: Positive Lists for Graduates and Skilled Workers Updated
Subscribe
Fragomen.com home
Select Language
  • English
  • French
  • French - Canadian
  • German

Select Language

  • English
  • French
  • French - Canadian
  • German
ContactCareersMedia
Search Fragomen.com
  • Our Services
    For EmployersFor IndividualsBy IndustryCase Studies
  • Our Tech & Innovation
  • Our People
  • Our Insights
    Worldwide Immigration Trends ReportsMagellan SeriesImmigration AlertsEventsMedia MentionsFragomen NewsBlogsPodcasts & Videos
  • Spotlights
    Navigating Immigration Under the Second Trump AdministrationTravel & Mobility Considerations: Situation in the Middle EastImmigration Matters: Your U.S. Compliance RoadmapHumanitarian and Evolving Legal Pathways (HELP)Vietnamese ImmigrationAustralian Immigration: New Skills in Demand Visa
  • About Us
    About FragomenOfficesResponsible Business PracticesFirm GovernanceRecognition

Our Services

  • For Employers
  • For Individuals
  • By Industry
  • Case Studies

Our Tech & Innovation

  • Our Approach

Our People

  • Overview / Directory

Our Insights

  • Worldwide Immigration Trends Reports
  • Magellan Series
  • Immigration Alerts
  • Events
  • Media Mentions
  • Fragomen News
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts & Videos

Spotlights

  • Navigating Immigration Under the Second Trump Administration
  • Travel & Mobility Considerations: Situation in the Middle East
  • Immigration Matters: Your U.S. Compliance Roadmap
  • Humanitarian and Evolving Legal Pathways (HELP)
  • Vietnamese Immigration
  • Australian Immigration: New Skills in Demand Visa

About Us

  • About Fragomen
  • Offices
  • Responsible Business Practices
  • Firm Governance
  • Recognition
Select Language
  • English
  • French
  • French - Canadian
  • German

Select Language

  • English
  • French
  • French - Canadian
  • German
ContactCareersMedia
  • Insights

Fragomen on Immigration: Fragomen Offices Get Busy Helping Unaccompanied Immigrant Children

September 8, 2014

Country / Territory

  • United StatesUnited States

Related contacts

austin_fragomen

Austin T. Fragomen

Chairman Emeritus

Miami, FL, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 786 539 1744

Careen-Shannon

Careen Shannon

Senior Counsel

Matawan, NJ, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 212 891 7517

Related offices

  • Atlanta, GA
  • Boston, MA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Miami, FL
  • Dallas, TX
  • Houston, TX
  • Irvine, CA
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Matawan, NJ
  • New York, NY
  • San Diego, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • San Jose
  • Silicon Valley, CA
  • Detroit, MI
  • Washington, DC

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Related contacts

austin_fragomen

Austin T. Fragomen

Chairman Emeritus

Miami, FL, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 786 539 1744

Careen-Shannon

Careen Shannon

Senior Counsel

Matawan, NJ, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 212 891 7517

Related offices

  • Atlanta, GA
  • Boston, MA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Miami, FL
  • Dallas, TX
  • Houston, TX
  • Irvine, CA
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Matawan, NJ
  • New York, NY
  • San Diego, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • San Jose
  • Silicon Valley, CA
  • Detroit, MI
  • Washington, DC

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Related contacts

austin_fragomen

Austin T. Fragomen

Chairman Emeritus

Miami, FL, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 786 539 1744

Careen-Shannon

Careen Shannon

Senior Counsel

Matawan, NJ, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 212 891 7517

Related offices

  • Atlanta, GA
  • Boston, MA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Miami, FL
  • Dallas, TX
  • Houston, TX
  • Irvine, CA
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Matawan, NJ
  • New York, NY
  • San Diego, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • San Jose
  • Silicon Valley, CA
  • Detroit, MI
  • Washington, DC

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

By: Careen Shannon, Austin T. Fragomen, Jr.

As readers of this blog are well aware, the United States is facing an unprecedented refugee crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, with the arrival of tens of thousands of unaccompanied children fleeing abuse and violence in Central America. Many of these children may be eligible for asylum or other immigration relief in the United States, but with no right to court-appointed counsel in immigration proceedings, and with a severe shortage of non-profit legal services organizations available to provide representation, the future is bleak for these children unless pro bono attorneys step in. 

Last month, Austin Fragomen participated in a meeting at the White House, along with leaders of other major law firms, to discuss what the private sector can do to help. In response, the firm has rolled out a national pro bono initiative to provide representation to unaccompanied children who have been released to family members or into foster care in cities around the country. 

The firm has selected Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) as its national partner in this endeavor. Regionally, each Fragomen office will also be working with trusted local non-profits. For example, the firm’s New York office is partnering with New York Law School’s Safe Passage Project to screen children who appear in Immigration Court and to represent individual children, and with the City Bar Justice Center to mentor two new Immigrant Justice Fellows who will be taking on a number of new cases. In Phoenix, the firm is working with the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project. In San Diego, the firm is working with the Casa Cornelia Law Center. Other partnerships between regional Fragomen offices and local non-profit organizations are in the making. 

Immigration law is legendarily difficult to navigate without qualified legal assistance. We already face what Judge Robert A. Katzmann of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has warned is an “immigrant representation crisis.” It is also well-established that immigrants who are represented by counsel are overwhelmingly more likely to prevail in removal proceedings than are those without counsel. As documented by the New York Immigrant Representation Study (NYIRS)—a pioneering study of the availability and adequacy of counsel in removal proceedings in New York—people facing removal in New York who have a lawyer are 500 percent more likely to win their cases than are those without representation. 

There is every reason to believe that the same holds true in other jurisdictions around the country. Moreover, data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Vera Institute of Justice indicate that between forty and sixty percent of unaccompanied immigrant children may be eligible for asylum or other relief. The numbers may actually be higher. For example, in testimony before the New York State Assembly on September 16, 2014, New York Law School Professor Lenni Benson, who heads up The Safe Passage Project, stated that approximately 80 percent of the children that Safe Passage attorneys screen appear to be eligible for lawful immigration status. But expecting a child to stand up alone in Immigration Court and articulate how he or she may be eligible to remain lawfully in the United States is simply unconscionable. This is where qualified immigration attorneys can really make a difference. 
 
There are lots of ways attorneys can help. In addition to taking on individual cases of unaccompanied children, Fragomen attorneys are also volunteering at juvenile dockets in immigration court, where they screen children for potential eligibility for relief from deportation and for a referral to pro bono attorneys or non-profit legal services organizations. Fragomen attorneys are staffing pro bono legal clinics around the country, holding “know your rights” sessions for juveniles, and sponsoring training sessions and educational forums for pro bono attorneys on representing children in immigration matters. 
 
We urge our fellow members of the bar to pitch in as well. 
 

Country / Territory

  • United StatesUnited States

Related contacts

austin_fragomen

Austin T. Fragomen

Chairman Emeritus

Miami, FL, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 786 539 1744

Careen-Shannon

Careen Shannon

Senior Counsel

Matawan, NJ, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 212 891 7517

Related offices

  • Atlanta, GA
  • Boston, MA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Miami, FL
  • Dallas, TX
  • Houston, TX
  • Irvine, CA
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Matawan, NJ
  • New York, NY
  • San Diego, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • San Jose
  • Silicon Valley, CA
  • Detroit, MI
  • Washington, DC

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Related contacts

austin_fragomen

Austin T. Fragomen

Chairman Emeritus

Miami, FL, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 786 539 1744

Careen-Shannon

Careen Shannon

Senior Counsel

Matawan, NJ, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 212 891 7517

Related offices

  • Atlanta, GA
  • Boston, MA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Miami, FL
  • Dallas, TX
  • Houston, TX
  • Irvine, CA
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Matawan, NJ
  • New York, NY
  • San Diego, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • San Jose
  • Silicon Valley, CA
  • Detroit, MI
  • Washington, DC

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Related contacts

austin_fragomen

Austin T. Fragomen

Chairman Emeritus

Miami, FL, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 786 539 1744

Careen-Shannon

Careen Shannon

Senior Counsel

Matawan, NJ, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 212 891 7517

Related offices

  • Atlanta, GA
  • Boston, MA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Miami, FL
  • Dallas, TX
  • Houston, TX
  • Irvine, CA
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Matawan, NJ
  • New York, NY
  • San Diego, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • San Jose
  • Silicon Valley, CA
  • Detroit, MI
  • Washington, DC

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Explore more at Fragomen

Video

A Guide to EU Visa Categories for Non-EU Nationals

Explore EU visa options for non-EU nationals, including Schengen, long-stay and work visas like the EU Blue Card. Find the right visa for your needs.

Learn more

Blog post

UK Partner Visa 2025: Is Cohabitation Still Required for Unmarried Couples?

Private Client Associate Amelia Haynes and Intern Zuha Malik explore whether living together remains a requirement for unmarried couples applying for a UK partner visa under the 2025 rules.

Learn more

Media mentions

Business Standard: 11 Million US Visa Backlog Crushes Indian H-1B, Green Card Dreams: Decoded

Partner Blake Miller discussed how US immigration processing delays may create challenges for work authorization, travel and workforce planning.

Learn more

Blog post

EES and ETIAS: Automation Meets Immigration Complexity

Immigration Manager Andreia Ghimis discusses how the EES and ETIAS systems aim to streamline immigration processes while addressing the complexities of automation.

Learn more

Fragomen news

Partner Marius Tollenaere Elected to the Executive Committee of the German Bar Association's Migration Law Working Group

Partner Marius Tollenaere is elected to the Executive Committee of the German Bar Association's Migration Law Working Group.

Learn more

Blog post

Policy Reform Proposal: Granting Automatic Employment Authorization to Spouses of Work Visa Holders in South Africa

Director Johannes Tiba explores the proposal to grant automatic employment authorization to spouses of work visa holders in South Africa.

Learn more

Media mentions

The National: UAE Golden Visa Explained: From Nomination to Investment and Who is Eligible

UK: Partner Haider Hussain clarifies that UAE Golden Visa applications must go through official government channels, warning against unauthorised fees and misinformation.

Learn more

Media mentions

Games Industry: What the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and Immigration White Paper Mean for the UK Games Industry

Director Laurence Keir-Thomas outlines how recent changes to UK immigration and industrial policy may affect talent planning and hiring across the games sector.

Learn more

Video

Grace Period for Submission of Documents for Temporary Residence Permits Eliminated in Portugal | #MobilityMinute

In this Mobility Minute, Senior Consultant Ada Plant discusses how Portugal's Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) no longer accepts incomplete temporary residence applications.

Learn more

Awards

Partner Julia Onslow-Cole Named to Citywealth Leaders List 2025

Partner Julia Onslow-Cole is named to the prestigious Citywealth Leaders List 2025, which recognises leading professionals in wealth management and private client services.

Learn more

Media mentions

The Irish Times: AI Technologies Being Used in Effort to Reduce Risk of Fraud in Immigration Process

Partner Ángel Bello Cortés discusses how Ireland’s Department of Justice is rolling out AI tools to reduce fraud risks in the immigration process.

Learn more

Media mentions

Business Insider: How Trump's Immigration Crackdown is Reshaping Financial Industry Hiring, Travel, and Dealmaking

Partner Isha Atassi discusses the impact of immigration policy changes on financial firms’ global mobility and workforce planning.

Learn more

Video

A Guide to EU Visa Categories for Non-EU Nationals

Explore EU visa options for non-EU nationals, including Schengen, long-stay and work visas like the EU Blue Card. Find the right visa for your needs.

Learn more

Blog post

UK Partner Visa 2025: Is Cohabitation Still Required for Unmarried Couples?

Private Client Associate Amelia Haynes and Intern Zuha Malik explore whether living together remains a requirement for unmarried couples applying for a UK partner visa under the 2025 rules.

Learn more

Media mentions

Business Standard: 11 Million US Visa Backlog Crushes Indian H-1B, Green Card Dreams: Decoded

Partner Blake Miller discussed how US immigration processing delays may create challenges for work authorization, travel and workforce planning.

Learn more

Blog post

EES and ETIAS: Automation Meets Immigration Complexity

Immigration Manager Andreia Ghimis discusses how the EES and ETIAS systems aim to streamline immigration processes while addressing the complexities of automation.

Learn more

Fragomen news

Partner Marius Tollenaere Elected to the Executive Committee of the German Bar Association's Migration Law Working Group

Partner Marius Tollenaere is elected to the Executive Committee of the German Bar Association's Migration Law Working Group.

Learn more

Blog post

Policy Reform Proposal: Granting Automatic Employment Authorization to Spouses of Work Visa Holders in South Africa

Director Johannes Tiba explores the proposal to grant automatic employment authorization to spouses of work visa holders in South Africa.

Learn more

Media mentions

The National: UAE Golden Visa Explained: From Nomination to Investment and Who is Eligible

UK: Partner Haider Hussain clarifies that UAE Golden Visa applications must go through official government channels, warning against unauthorised fees and misinformation.

Learn more

Media mentions

Games Industry: What the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and Immigration White Paper Mean for the UK Games Industry

Director Laurence Keir-Thomas outlines how recent changes to UK immigration and industrial policy may affect talent planning and hiring across the games sector.

Learn more

Video

Grace Period for Submission of Documents for Temporary Residence Permits Eliminated in Portugal | #MobilityMinute

In this Mobility Minute, Senior Consultant Ada Plant discusses how Portugal's Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) no longer accepts incomplete temporary residence applications.

Learn more

Awards

Partner Julia Onslow-Cole Named to Citywealth Leaders List 2025

Partner Julia Onslow-Cole is named to the prestigious Citywealth Leaders List 2025, which recognises leading professionals in wealth management and private client services.

Learn more

Media mentions

The Irish Times: AI Technologies Being Used in Effort to Reduce Risk of Fraud in Immigration Process

Partner Ángel Bello Cortés discusses how Ireland’s Department of Justice is rolling out AI tools to reduce fraud risks in the immigration process.

Learn more

Media mentions

Business Insider: How Trump's Immigration Crackdown is Reshaping Financial Industry Hiring, Travel, and Dealmaking

Partner Isha Atassi discusses the impact of immigration policy changes on financial firms’ global mobility and workforce planning.

Learn more

Stay in touch

Subscribe to receive our latest immigration alerts

Subscribe

Our firm

  • About
  • Careers
  • Firm Governance
  • Media Inquiries
  • Recognition

Information

  • Attorney Advertising
  • Legal Notices
  • Privacy Policies
  • UK Regulatory Requirements

Our firm

  • About
  • Careers
  • Firm Governance
  • Media Inquiries
  • Recognition

Information

  • Attorney Advertising
  • Legal Notices
  • Privacy Policies
  • UK Regulatory Requirements

Have a question?

Contact Us
  • LinkedIn
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

© 2025 Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, Fragomen Global LLP and affiliates. All Rights Reserved.

Please note that the content made available on this site is not intended for visitors / customers located in the province of Quebec, and the information provided is not applicable to the Quebec market. To access relevant information that applies to the Quebec market, please click here.