Mr. President. as my distinguished colleague from Wisconsin knows. I am very concerned about Federal programs and activities that detain or care for unaccompanied juveniles. particularly those juveniles apprehended by or in the custody of the Immigration and Naturalization Service [INS]. I am. therefore. pleased that you agreed to my language in your legislation to amend the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to include the Commissioner of the INS as a member of the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The Council. an independent organization in the executive branch of the Federal Government. is required to coordinate. study. and report to the President and Congress on all Federal juvenile delinquency programs. By reviewing the reasons why Federal agencies take juveniles into custody. the Council will play an instrumental role in our efforts to improve Federal practices and facilities for holding juveniles in custody. In the case of the INS. for example. most undocumented juveniles are detained unless or until a close adult relative comes forward to request their custody. Many of these children are traveling alone and are unaccompanied by an adult. let alone an adult relative. This practice is squarely at odds with accepted child welfare practices. which uniformly provide that juveniles should be released unless detention is necessary to protect the community or a particular minor from imminent harm.
Keywords matched
Naturalization Immigration undocumented