Integrated Advocacy to Address Intersectional Issues
Sometimes, the road to solving a problem can require multiple paths – different time frames, skill sets, stakeholders and various pro and con lists to determine how to put relationships first, whenever possible, and to ensure accountability on behalf of the people we represent.
In 2022, Legal Counsel for Youth and Children (LCYC) discovered that foreign-born youth involved in dependency and other juvenile court proceedings are not assisted in addressing their immigration status, despite being under the care of Washington’s Department of Children, Youth and Families.
In response, LCYC partnered with multiple organizations to pursue various pathways in an effort to correct the harm, including (1) administrative advocacy (2) legislative advocacy and (3) litigation to ensure that foreign-born youth get the immigration representation they need and exit state care on a path to permanency, not on a road to deportation.