This episode explores the unique experiences of unaccompanied immigrant children (UICs) and the ways in which immigration impacts mental health. The Young Center, an organization dedicated to promoting immigrant children’s rights, ensures the safety and best interests of unaccompanied children in United States custody by advocating for them as they navigate the immigration system. In this episode, José Ortiz-Rosales, Deputy Director of the Young Center’s Child Advocate Program, and Anne Kelsey, Policy Analyst for Disability Rights at the Young Center, offer their perspectives on opportunities for the public health field to better support unaccompanied minors’ mental and physical health needs.

Resources:

• American Academy of Pediatrics: Immigrant Child Health Toolkit
• National Partnership for Women & Families: A Systemic Failure: Immigrant Moms and Babies are Being Denied Health Care 
• National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights: Education, Capacity Building & Community Resources
• Amnesty International: Pushed into Harm’s Way
• Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science: The Refugee and Immigrant Core Stressors Toolkit (RICST): Understanding the Multifaceted Needs of Refugee and Immigrant Youth and Families Through a Four Core Stressors Framework
• American Journal of Public Health Article, March 2024: Protecting Immigrant Children: A Public Health of Consequence, March 2024
• American Journal of Public Health Article, March 2024: Health Risks of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in Federal Custody and in US Communities

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