Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)


Founded by Angelina Jolie and Microsoft to create a pro bono movement to provide quality and compassionate legal counsel to unaccompanied refugee and immigrant children.
Link to organization

Primary geographic focus: NATIONAL
Organization type(s): National Association
Acronym or short name: KIND
Tags: Children & Juvenile, Immigration Process, Law Schools, Pro Bono

KIND serves as the leading organization for the protection of unaccompanied children who enter the US immigration system alone and strives to ensure that no such child appears in immigration court without representation. We achieve fundamental fairness through high-quality legal representation and by advancing the child’s best interests, safety, and well-being.

KIND advocates for changes in U.S. law, policy, and practice to improve the treatment and protection of unaccompanied children in the United States. We do this through administrative and legislative advocacy and through public outreach and trainings.



CONTENT MENTIONING/INVOLVING THIS SOURCE

Feature

Where Are the Children?

Sarah Stillman
New Yorker
April 20, 2015
This feature piece shines a light on role of civil legal aid and immigration advocates for kids and families in detention.

News Story

‘Children As Young As 5’ Could Face Immigration Court Alone, Experts Say

Angelina Chapin
Huffington Post
June 25, 2018
Kids who aren’t even old enough to know the name of their home country may be forced to navigate a complex legal system by themselves.

News Story

Immigrant toddlers appear in court alone

Christina Jewett, Shefali Luthra
Kaiser Health News (KHN)
June 28, 2018
Children as young as 3 are appearing in court without their parents to plead their case to stay in the country.

News Story

The Trump administration asked 70 babies who can’t talk to make their case in immigration court

Taylor Dolven
VICE News
July 19, 2018
New Justice Department data obtained by Kaiser Health News and the Texas Tribune show the number of babies under 1 summoned to immigration court recently increased almost 200 percent, from 24 in fiscal year 2017 to 70 so far in fiscal year 2018.

Audio , News Story

Why It’s Harder for Unaccompanied Minors to Find a Lawyer Now

Beth Fertig
WNYC (NY)
August 20, 2018
Only 58 percent of unaccompanied minors in New York were represented. The percentage dropped even more this year, now that the government includes children separated from their parents at the U.S. border, making accurate comparisons very difficult.

Feature

The Thousands of Children Who Go to Immigration Court Alone

Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou
Atlantic, The
August 20, 2018
Unaccompanied migrant children living in Fresno face greater challenges than their coastal counterparts when it comes to fighting to stay in the U.S.

Audio , News Story

Four Weeks After Judge’s Deadline, Numerous Migrant Children Remain in New York

Beth Fertig
WNYC (NY)
August 22, 2018
Nationally, 565 children were still waiting to be returned to their parents, according to a status update last week. Another update is expected this Friday.

News Story

D.C. has legal aid for immigrants, but the city doesn’t use tax dollars to help undocumented ones that are detained

Marissa J. Lang, Fenit Nirappil
Washington Post
August 26, 2018
Unlike other cities that have created immigrant defense funds since Trump took office, Washington does not use tax dollars to help undocumented adults once they are detained by federal authorities and face deportation.

Feature

Detained immigrants seeking asylum at border get help from Baltimore attorneys, law students

Jean Marbella
Baltimore Sun
December 28, 2018
Domzal and a fellow attorney at Ballard Spahr, Michelle McGeogh, are among hundreds of lawyers across the country who have taken time away from their paid work to travel to remote detention centers and represent undocumented immigrants.

News Story

How Legal Aid Groups Built An Army To Help Migrant Kids

Nicole Narea
Law360
May 19, 2019
Some legal aid groups have made it their mission to rally pro bono attorneys ready to advocate for immigrant children left unrepresented by the system.

Interview

White House Cuts Activities Funding For Unaccompanied Migrant Children

National Public Radio (NPR)
June 6, 2019
NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Wendy Young, president of Kids in Need of Defense, about the discontinuation of funds for English classes and legal aid for unaccompanied child migrants in U.S. shelters.

News Story

Legal Aid For Migrant Kids Too Vital To Cut, Advocates Say

Emma Cueto
Law360
June 9, 2019
Advocates have loudly denounced the plan, saying that the services that HHS would need to cut are crucial for children and should be fully funded.

News Story

New Mission for Lawyers: Free Aid to Young Immigrants

Miriam Jordan
Wall Street Journal (WSJ)
October 1, 2014
Attorneys at major U.S. law firms and corporations are volunteering to represent, at no cost, unaccompanied children who have entered the U.S. illegally and lack access to justice.

News Story

In NY, Volunteer Attorneys Lend Voice, Legal Help, To Border Kids

Raul A. Reyes
NBC News
March 23, 2015
An article describing how various civil legal aid organizations are helping unaccompanied border children.



This page last modified: Thu, April 16, 2015 -- 7:30 pm ET