Young asylum-seekers focus of Zoom talk offered by Palatine, Arlington Heights leagues
If you want to learn what happens to unaccompanied minors who seek asylum in the United States, a Zoom talk held by two suburban League of Women Voters groups will have plenty of answers.
"Children Seeking Asylum: Conversations with Viator House and Bethany House" will be offered at 7 p.m. Wednesday by the League of Women Voters of the Palatine Area and the League of Women Voters of Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect and Buffalo Grove.
Speakers will be the Rev. Corey Brost, executive director of Viator House of Hospitality in Arlington Heights, and Sister Patricia Crowley, board president for Bethany House of Hospitality in Chicago.
They will explain how their organizations have helped keep young men and women seeking asylum out of detention centers.
Minor asylum-seekers are placed in shelters or foster care, but when they turn 18, they are routed to detention centers, such as some county jails in Illinois. That's where Viator House and Bethany House come into play: Viator House serves young men, Bethany House serves young women, and both provide housing and services to asylum-seekers older than 18.
Brost will interview one of Viator House's clients during the Zoom call. The young man's identity will be protected, said Elaine Doremus, publicity chairwoman for the Palatine League group.
A young woman who received services from Bethany House also might participate, Crowley said. Otherwise, Crowley will tell her story.
In the last four years, Bethany House - it started in Bartlett and now is in Chicago - has welcomed 55 young women, mostly 18 to 22 years old, from 17 countries, Crowley said.
They stay an average six months, ranging from one day to 3½ years, and get case management services such as education, legal services, financial training and job readiness. Typically, they can receive work permits while their cases make their way through the federal court system, which has a backlog of 1 million cases, Crowley said.
Crowley said that on the plus side, the foster care network for asylum-seekers has become stronger.
Asylum-seekers typically apply at the U.S. border and points of entry, but that was halted by the Trump administration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prohibition continues under the Biden administration.
That means asylum-seekers from Central America are prevented from entering the country at the Mexican border for a long time, even years, she said.
"The more we understand, the more we can take action with our legislators about immigration laws," Crowley said.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed four bills into law Monday aimed at protecting the state's immigrant and refugee populations, including a requirement for local governments to end partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups planned to file a preliminary injunction to halt the asylum-blocking practice started under Trump, NPR reported Monday.
To register for the Zoom talk, visit signupgenius.com/go/70a0a4ca5a82da2fb6-children.