The real-life court experiences of immigrant children separated from their parents

A new film by the nonprofit Immigration Counseling Service and filmmaker Linda Freedman shows the real-life court experiences of immigrant children separated from their parents, using actual court transcripts.

Unaccompanied: Alone in America shows former Oregon Judge William C. Snouffer portraying the stern-faced immigration trial judge who asks several Latino children if they are even aware who or what a lawyer is or does. Several respond to the U.S. government's charges, in Spanish, that they don't know the definition of a lawyer and are clearly not represented by one. The court proceedings in the four-minute film take quotations directly from transcripts from immigration trials in which migrant toddlers often appear alone and frightened.

We should ensure due process for those fleeing violence in Central America and work with our regional partners to address the root causes of violence. We must take particular care with children, which is why we should guarantee government-funded counsel for unaccompanied children in immigration courts.