Press Releases

9/27/2024, New Jersey - The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC) stands in support of the Haitian community in New Jersey and beyond.

“Every child should feel safe when walking on the sidewalk near their home,” stated Justin Mader, Policy Director of NJCIC. “Every child should feel excited to go to school each day and learn from their teachers and classmates. Every family should feel empowered to build a better life no matter what city, county, or state they choose to reside in across the United States of America.”

The Consortium Celebrates Investments in Immigrant Children and Youth

6/28/2024, Jersey City, New Jersey - The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC) proudly celebrates New Jersey’s transformational investments in the immigrant community. We commend the Legislature and Administration for their unwavering commitment to supporting New Jersey’s immigrant children, youth, and families. With the Governor’s signature, New Jersey will continue to be a national trailblazer by ensuring legal representation and social services for unaccompanied minors and similarly situated youth arriving in the state.

Immigration is a highly complex area of law that carries potentially life-threatening consequences. Immigrants in deportation proceedings, including children, are not entitled to government-funded legal counsel, even though they are more likely to win their cases with an attorney. Despite New Jersey having the sixth largest immigration court backlog in the country, only 32% of cases have legal representation.

Safety at Stake: NJCIC Denounces the Administration’s Policy Shift on Immigration at the Southern Border

6/5/2024, Jersey City, NJ - Yesterday, President Joe Biden signed an executive order restricting the number of migrants who can cross the border to seek asylum in the United States, including families with children. This policy upends U.S. asylum law, driving those who are seeking safety to undertake increasingly dangerous journeys and making them more vulnerable to exploitation by traffickers and smugglers. The enactment marks a return to draconian border restrictions similar to those under the last administration. The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC) is deeply concerned about the direct impact of this policy on migrant children’s safety and an increase in violent encounters.

“While this policy does not directly affect unaccompanied minors, it is troubling and could lead to horrifying consequences to the immigrant community as a whole,” said Priscilla Monico Marín, Executive Director of NJCIC, adding “with the already burdensome restrictions that have been imposed by the federal government on asylum seekers, and the years long waiting list of those who have already applied, this will only add insecurity to those who have come here escaping violence and persecution.”

NJCIC’s Immigrant Youth Advocates are awarded the “Youth Achievement Award” by NJAAP

The NJ Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics (NJAAP) awarded the 2024 Youth Achievement Award to the New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children’s Immigrant Youth Advocates. The reception was held during NJAAP’s Children Ball on Wednesday, May 8th at 6:00PM at the Palace at Somerset Park, New Jersey.

05/08/2024, Somerset, New Jersey - The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children’s (NJCIC) Immigrant Youth Advocates were awarded the “Youth Achievement Award”. This award recognizes the strengths and accomplishments of young people working to advance the health, safety, and well-being of all children across the state. The Immigrant Youth Advocates program is NJCIC’s leadership development and narrative change program that uses media and podcasting as a tool for advocacy. We are honored that NJCIC’s Advocates were recognized for their advocacy work by NJAAP…

NJCIC Celebrates the passing of Language Access and Data Disaggregation Legislation in New Jersey

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1/9/2024, Trenton, NJ - The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC) was honored to witness the floor vote of legacy legislation: S2459/A3837 Language Access and S2415/A3092 Data Disaggregation.

Nearly one in four New Jersey residents is an immigrant, and one in six residents is a native-born U.S. citizen with at least one immigrant parent. Our immigrant children, youth, and families are integral to New Jersey’s history and future. Yesterday, the New Jersey Legislature passed two critical pieces of legislation advancing the rights of immigrant children and families in New Jersey. The Language Access bill requires state agencies to provide vital documents and translation services in at least seven most common non-English languages. The Data Disaggregation bill requires state agencies to collect demographic information to disaggregate data for Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. This ensures accurate representation, allowing targeted allocation of resources based on specific ethnic or origin data and impacting the accessibility of healthcare services. We are calling on Governor Murphy to sign both bills into law in the upcoming days.

09/29/2023– NJCIC & LANF: LatinX Students in NJ Policy Report

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09/29/2023– On January 14, 2023, the Latino Action Network Foundation (LANF) and the New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC) hosted an education roundtable to identify concerns affecting Latinx students in New Jersey Schools. Participants represented a cross-section of educational stakeholders including educators, students, and community leaders.

The extensive discussion revealed an urgent need for improved access to resources, more equitable support systems, and comprehensive changes to address systemic barriers for Latinx students, including immigrant students and English learners/Multilingual learners. The top concerns identified were accessibility and resource gaps for families and students, data disaggregation, funding, and lack of transparency in educational processes. The roundtable discussion resulted in recommendations for addressing these barriers. These recommendations underscore a commitment to fostering greater equity, access to resources, and inclusivity in schools across the state…

The Federal Government’s Family Expedited Removal Management Program (FERM) Expands to South Jersey, Concerning Advocates

08-21-2023, Marlton, New Jersey – The federal government recently announced an expansion of its controversial process for expedited removal for family units. The program, called the Family Expedited Removal Management (FERM), was piloted in four cities across the United States, including Newark, New Jersey in May. This month, FERM is set to expand to other cities nationwide, including Marlton, a township in Burlington County. Marlton’s FERM program opened on August 18th…

Following The End Of Title 42, The Federal Government’s New Framework Includes Additional Restrictions For Immigrant Families Released In Newark

05-23-2023, Newark, New Jersey – Earlier this month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced a process for expedited removal called Family Expedited Removal Management (FERM) for family units apprehended at the Southwest Border. ICE has selected four cities in the United States, including Newark, New Jersey, to pilot the program. While awaiting processing, the heads of households of families will be subject to ankle-monitoring and nightly curfews will apply to the entire family from 11 PM to 5 AM. “Curfews and ankle monitoring on family units is dehumanizing and can have life-long impact on a child’s wellbeing,” said Priscilla Monico Marin, Executive Director of the New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC). “Pursuing asylum is a well-established right under domestic and international law. Strategies aimed at deterring families from pursuing safety in the United States are both unethical and contrary to well established law.” (continued)

NJCIC Affirms Importance of Investing in Immigrant Communities Following Governor Murphy’s FY 2024 Budget Address

2/28/2023, Trenton, NJ - The New Jersey Consortium For Immigrant Children was honored to witness in person the momentum for Building the Next New Jersey with a focus on Affordability, Responsibility and Opportunity. The Governor renewed his commitment to Cover All Kids, which aims to provide healthcare coverage for all children regardless of their immigration status, signaling a focus on promoting healthcare equity. New Jersey is a home to over 2 million immigrants who make up over 25% of the workforce in our state. Our immigrant children, youth and families are an integral part of New Jersey, its history and its future. "As we contemplate the future, we find it encouraging that Governor Murphy emphasized the significance of creating a New Jersey where every child has the opportunity to see themselves in our collective future Immigrant children, youth, and families play a vital role in the state's economy and social fabric, and ongoing investments in these communities are a reflection of New Jersey's commitment to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment. We look forward to fully engaging in the budget process and learning about all services and programs that affect our constituents” noted Priscilla Monico Marin, NJCIC’s Executive Director in attendance during the Governor’s Budget Address…

NJCIC Celebrates Healthcare Access for Undocumented Immigrant Children and Youth

01/18/2022, New Jersey- The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC) joined Governor Phil Murphy along with community advocates and organizations to celebrate and recognize the expansion of healthcare coverage to all children in New Jersey regardless of immigration status. Since January 2022, NJCIC has been part of the Outreach, Enrollment, and Retention Working Group with New Jersey Department of Human Services (NJDHS) working to increase enrollment of New Jersey Family Care. Cover All Kids (CAK), which was signed into law in 2021, provides for the expansion of eligibility of healthcare coverage to all children regardless of immigration status during phase 2. This expansion was made effective on January 1, 2023…

NJCIC is Awarded the Dr. Elizabeth “BJ” Franks Advocacy Award by NJTESOL/NJBE

06/03/2022, New Jersey- The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC) and Education Law Center (ELC) were jointly awarded the Dr. Elizabeth “BJ” Franks Advocacy Award. This award is given to recognize an organization in New Jersey that has served as a catalyst for the advancement of the needs and concerns of English language learners in the state. Advocating for educational equity for all immigrant children is a cornerstone of NJCIC’s policy advocacy priorities. We are humbled to be recognized for our work in driving educational equity for English language learners and congratulate our fellow awardee and partner, Education Law Center, for this recognition…

New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children Releases Issue Brief on New Jersey’s Student Mental Health Crisis Through the Eyes of Immigrant Youth

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March 14, 2022, New Jersey – Today, the New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children released Confronting New Jersey’s Student Mental Health Crisis: Current Resources and Proposals for Change Through the Eyes of Immigrant Youth, a youth-led issue brief focused on immigrant students’ needs and priorities around mental health services in schools. During the pandemic, immigrant students have faced unprecedented loss and isolation, leading to increased anxiety and depression. The situation has been particularly grave for recently arrived immigrant students, who often lack access to linguistically and culturally appropriate mental health services. Yet even as students’ mental health needs have increased, schools already facing disparities in funding for mental health services have been stretched thin coping with the pandemic and subsequent shutdowns. Students’ increased need for support and schools’ lack of resources have the potential to fuel a crisis of youth mental health in New Jersey for years to come…

New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children Applauds Newark Board of Education’s Commitment to Address Inequities English Learners Face in Their District

Newark, New Jersey, January 28, 2022 – The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC), NJ Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/NJ Bilingual Educators (NJTESOL/NJBE), and Education Law Center (ELC) recognize Newark Board of Education members for the approval of the English Learners Resolution at their January 27, 2022 public meeting. The resolution affirms the rights of English Learners who, based on district data, are 18.5% of the total school population. A report released in November 2021 by NJCIC, NJTESOL/NJBE, and ELC highlighted the inequities English Learners face in New Jersey public schools. The report, English Learners in New Jersey: Exposing Inequities and Expanding Opportunities in the Wake of the Pandemic, found that many school districts are failing to meet the standards of the New Jersey Bilingual Education Code or comply with federal law. The report also provided a Model Resolution on the Rights of English Learners…

English Learners Face Severe Inequities and Substandard Conditions in NJ Schools, Report by the Consortium, NJTESOL/NJBE, and Education Law Center Finds

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November 16, 2021 – English learners (ELs) in New Jersey public schools, already facing inadequate supports and a lack of attention, missed out on critical services during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report released today by the NJ Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC), NJ Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/NJ Bilingual Educators (NJTESOL/NBE), and Education Law Center (ELC)…

New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children and Members Hail Nationally Pathbreaking $3 Million Program for New Jersey’s Unaccompanied Minors and Other Immigrant Youth

The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children, as well as Kids in Need of Defense, American Friends Service Committee, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark, and Community Foundation of New Jersey, applaud New Jersey lawmakers for creating New Jersey’s first-ever state-funded program to provide legal representation and case management to unaccompanied minors and similarly situated immigrant youth. The Consortium, a statewide coalition of legal providers, healthcare providers, and community-based organizations, fought, with its members, for the $3 million initiative, which passed the legislature on Thursday as part of the state’s budget deal…

Consortium Youth Mental Health Advocates at the New Jersey Senate Highlight the Costs of Excluding Undocumented Children from Insurance

Trenton, New Jersey — The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children welcomes the commitment of Sen. Joseph Vitale and other legislators to expanding insurance to undocumented children, and applauds its youth leaders, members, and coalition partners who testified as S3798 was voted out of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. The Consortium’s Mental Health Advocates Sergio Crespo-Flores and Jazmin Margalef offered powerful in-person testimony that spoke to the moral imperative to provide healthcare for all children regardless of status, supported by written testimony from other Advocates and Consortium members…

Consortium Wins 2021 Project Innovation Challenge Grant to Ensure South Jersey Communities Can Benefit from DACA

We are thrilled to announce that the Consortium has been selected as a winner of the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation’s 2021 Project Innovation Grant Challenge. Through Project Innovation, the Foundation will grant $3.5 million this year to non-profits that are strengthening communities through innovative solutions. The Foundation’s support will allow the Consortium to expand our outreach and education efforts in Cumberland County and surrounding South Jersey communities, ensuring that immigrants all over New Jersey can benefit from the protections of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)…

Consortium and 400+ Signatories Urge Biden Administration to take Immediate Action to Protect Abused, Abandoned, and Neglected Immigrant Youth from Deportation

On May 20, 2021, the Consortium, together with its partners in the SIJS Backlog Coalition and a total of over 400 immigrant rights organizations, academic experts, and law firms, sent a letter to Biden Administration officials urging changes to protect Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)-eligible youth from deportation. SIJS is a visa program that Congress created to allow children and youth who have survived parental abuse and neglect to remain in the United States. The Trump Administration’s attacks on SIJS, combined with long waits for visas, have left many SIJS-eligible youth waiting in vain for years for a permanent status, and under constant threat of deportation…

Consortium Teams Up With Rutgers Law School Clinics for Statewide Survey on Access to Justice for Immigrant Children and Families

The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children is working with law school clinics at the Camden and Newark campuses of Rutgers Law School on a statewide survey on the unmet legal needs of immigrant children and youth in New Jersey. In the last four years, immigrant communities across the country have endured heightened levels of immigration enforcement, and with immigration of children and families to the United States set to grow, there has been — and will continue to be — increased need for immigrant legal representation in New Jersey. Despite the clear need, many regions of the state lack affordable immigration services, while in others, demand far outstrips the supply. The Consortium is committed to taking concrete steps in order to close this gap. Failing to provide immigrant children and youth with counsel raises significant due process issues given their developmental stage, and immigrants of all ages are at risk when unrepresented due to the complexity of the immigration system…

Consortium Calls on Governor Murphy to Put Medicaid Expansion for Undocumented and Uninsured Kids in 2022 Budget

Update: Due to pressure from New Jersey community members and organizations, Governor Murphy has designated $20 million for Cover All Kids — an important first step towards establishing this program to cover 88,000 uninsured youth, and ultimately to move towards Healthcare for All. The ball is now in legislators’ court. The Consortium urges them to swiftly pass both the Cover All Kids legislation and a budget that includes $20 million to fund the program. Thanks to NJ Citizen Action and our coalition partners for your work to make Cover All Kids a reality! (continued)

Consortium Joins 46 New Jersey Organizations Defending the Immigrant Trust Directive Before the Third Circuit

On Tuesday, February 16, 2021, the Consortium joined a friend-of the-court brief, with our partner the ACLU of New Jersey, urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to uphold the Immigrant Trust Directive, a lawful, important policy to keep New Jersey safer and healthier for immigrant communities. The Directive protects immigrant communities by limiting the collaboration between state and local officers and federal immigration enforcement agencies. By drawing clear lines between local enforcement and federal immigration authorities, the Directive encourages people to feel safe when seeking local law enforcement assistance and access to social services. To read more about this brief, check out ACLU-NJ’s website here.

Consortium Joins Amicus Brief Defending the Right of Abused and Abandoned Immigrant Youth to Stay in the United States

On December 2, 2020, the Consortium joined its sister organizations from across the country on an amicus brief before the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit opposing the Trump Administration’s efforts to deport abused and abandoned immigrant youth from the United States. The case, JLPP v. Barr, exemplifies the Trump Administration’s attempts to undermine the purpose of the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) program by depriving its recipients of its benefits. The brief argues that federal law does not allow for the removal of a SIJS beneficiary awaiting a green card, and recent attempts to remove SIJS-approved immigrant youth — as in the case of J.L.P.P. — run contrary to Congress’s intent in setting up the SIJS program…

Consortium Presses Elected Officials to Support Immigrants and Communities of Color Around the 2020 Election

On Thursday, October 29, the Consortium and community partners released a sign-on letter to local elected officials across the state of New Jersey calling for local leaders to address threats to immigrants and people of color between the election and the inauguration. Earlier in the month, the Consortium hosted two pre-election planning sessions focused on supporting the immigrant community through the turbulent period around the November 2020 election. The Consortium spearheaded the letter and the planning sessions in response to concerns voiced by our members, our advocacy and organizing partners, and community members regarding tensions around the election and increasing unease in immigrant and marginalized communities…

Consortium Urges Department of Justice to Withdraw Proposed Rules Aimed at Creating Barriers for Asylum Seekers

On October 22, 2020, the Consortium and community partners submitted a comment to the Department of Justice objecting to proposed regulations that would dramatically compress the immigration court process, creating unsurmountable hurdles for asylum seekers and further eroding procedural protection in the asylum system. The Consortium raises concerns that the changes, which will radically limit the time frame for immigrants to seek legal representation and to develop a case for relief in court, will result in more immigrants proceeding without counsel and dramatically limit the effectiveness of representation for immigrants who do have a lawyer.

Consortium Pushes Back Against Harmful Immigration Regulations Making Courts Less Accessible to Immigrant Youth

On Wednesday, December 23, 2020, the Consortium submitted two comments to the federal government’s Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) challenging proposed regulations that would remove safeguards for many immigrants in court, including young immigrant seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and unaccompanied alien children (UACs) seeking asylum. The Consortium is concerned that the rules would ultimately lead to an increase in deportation of young immigrants, a group Congress has repeatedly said deserves special solicitude and has intended to protect.

Consortium Urges NJ Legislators to Help Immigrant Families Plan for the Detention of a Loved One