Every year, thousands of asylum seekers are detained by the U.S. government, sometimes until their asylum cases are decided—which can amount to days, weeks, months or even years. Many of those detained are women and children.

The Women’s Refugee Commission’s Detention and Asylum Program works to ensure that these asylum seekers are not held longer than necessary, that they are treated fairly and that their basic rights are respected. The program includes a variety of projects geared toward ensuring that U.S. laws and policies protect women, unaccompanied children and families.

 Read our fact sheet on our Detention and Asylum Program.

Detention and Asylum Resources

Halfway Home: Unaccompanied Children in Immigration Custody
Women's Refugee Commission, February 2009
The Women's Refugee Commission and the law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP embarked on a landmark study of the conditions of care and confinement for children in immigration proceedings without a parent or guardian.
 

Also available: Executive Summary

Locking Up Family Values: The Detention of Immigrant Families
Women's Refugee Commission  , February 2007  

The Women's Refugee Commission and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service examines the expanding penal approach to family detention in the U.S. to inform the development of policy and practice that serves the best interests of family and children.

"What Happens When I Go to Immigration Court?"
Women's Refugee Commission, Holland & Knight  , July 2006  
"What Happens When I Go To Immigration Court?" is a first-of-a-kind educational video to orient children in immigration court. Available in English, Creole, French, Fuzhounese, and Spanish. Download the companion user's manual here.

Press Releases on Family Detention

• Good News on Immigration Detention But Keeping the Pressure On (August 7, 2009)
• Women’s Refugee Commission Applauds Legislation to Protect Children from Adverse Consequences of Immigration Enforcement (July 31, 2009)
• U.S. Immigration Policy Harms Women, Families (June 24, 2009)
• U.S. Faces Challenges in the Protection of Unaccompanied Children (February 3, 2009)

Read more in our press room.

Selected Media Coverage on Family Detention

• New documentary focuses on detention of immigrant families (Austin American-Statesman, March 16, 2009)

• Immigrant Families Face Stress of Detention (NPR News, Tell Me More, April 10, 2008)

• The Lost Children (The New Yorker, March 3, 2008)

Read more in our press room.