Attorneys for unaccompanied minors in need of help

ABC-7 recently reported on a story about a shelter on Fort Bliss property that is housing 500 undocumented unaccompanied minors.

ABC-7 was not allowed to take cameras in and was not allowed to speak to the children.

This week attorneys tell ABC-7 about the conditions of the children in the shelter but they are also looking for help, saying they are swamped with cases and calling out for volunteers.

On a Fort Bliss property, hundreds of unaccompanied minors make their stay while they receive shelter, care and legal assistance from the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services or RAICES.

“RAICES is a non-profit organization that provides legal services to unaccompanied children,” said RAICES attorney Fatima Menendez.

Media outlets are not allowed to speak to the children, but Menendez is an attorney who visits the children several days a week.

“Kids that are detained here in El Paso, they are definitely having all their basic needs met,” Menendez said.

Although the minors that range from 10 to 17 years old are provided food, clothing and medical assistance, emotionally, the process can be hard for them.

“Many of them are confused, they are scared, they don’t know exactly what’s happening here,” Menendez said.

Menendez tells ABC-7 the kids main concerns are:

“Their main priority for all of them, the majority that we meet with, is when are they getting out and when are they going to be reunified with their family,” Menendez said.

Officials with the Office of Refugee Resettlement say in 2015, they received close to 34,000 minors throughout the United States, but in the first few months of 2016 the number grew to 47,000.

“There are a lot of children there so we are seeking volunteers to assist the RAICES legal team we are seeking people that are bilingual,” Menendez told ABC-7.

And as much as the RAICES legal group needs volunteers, they do want people to know it’s a labor of love.

“We just need them to realize this is difficult draining work. We’re assisting the entire detention facility so we’re there every day, all day,” Menendez said.

Menendez adds it is very gratifying work helping children.

RAICES will be holding a information session where anyone can attend.
You can contact them at HelpKids@Raicestexas.org to sign up for the session.