With More U.S. Children Having Immigrant Parents and Amid Rising Immigration Enforcement, Child Welfare Systems Are Adapting Policies

WASHINGTON – The changing demographics of children who come to the attention of state and local child welfare agencies and the growing intersection of these protection systems with rising immigration enforcement is causing some adaptation of policies and practices. A new Migration Policy Institute (MPI) report that draws from interviews with 21 state, county and city child welfare agencies across the United States finds some promising approaches but significant variation in how child welfare systems address these issues.