06/03/2026
Federal Litigation for Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in Prolonged ORR Custody
📅 Date: Monday, June 8, 2026
🕰️Time: 1 p.m. — 2:30 p.m. EST
Federal habeas litigation is increasingly the only viable path to secure the release of unaccompanied children trapped in Office of Refugee Resettlement ("ORR") custody. Currently, children have been detained in ORR custody for an average of more than 200 days, separated from their families who are trying to sponsor them and care for them at home.
This webinar will focus on concrete habeas strategies to protect detained children and release them to their families, including: legal theories, practical logistics, and related federal litigation strategies like mandamus petitions and motions for temporary restraining orders. Habeas petitions can be used to attack statutory, regulatory, and constitutional violations that result in prolonged detention and the needless suffering of children. After attending this training, you will be prepared to bring these cases and make a meaningful difference in the lives of vulnerable children and families. You will also become eligible to participate in pro bono cases referred by and in partnership with child advocates.
This training will equip legal service providers and advocates with a practical, litigation-ready framework for: * Identifying viable habeas claims for detained unaccompanied children * Navigating child-specific jurisdiction, exhaustion, and custody questions * Keeping current on legal developments, including emerging arguments for youth * Learning about a growing number of resources to support UC habeas litigation * Joining a national coalition of advocates and pro bono attorneys fighting for children's release from custody.
Sponsored by the American Bar Association Litigation Section and co-sponsored by the Center for Public Interest Law; the Commission on Immigration; the Criminal Justice Section and the Civil Rights and Social Justice Section
To register visit: https://ow.ly/sbtV50Z6pUi
📢 Speakers:
💠 Alexa Sendukas, Managing Attorney, Immigrant Children and Youth Program, GHIRP, Houston, TX
💠 Becky Wolozin, Senior Attorney, National Center for Youth Law, Washington, DC
💠 Laura J Smith, Executive Director, Children's Legal Center, Chicago, IL
💠 Dalia Castillo-Granados, Director, Children’s Immigration Law Academy (CILA), American Bar Association, Houston, TX
