Department of Justice AmeriCorps Grant for Unaccompanied Children Legal Services

Single-State applicants: If your organization proposes to operate a program in just one state, please contact your State Commission, which can be found here: http://www.americorps.gov/about/contact/statecommission.asp. You will need to apply to your respective State Commission and not directly to CNCS unless otherwise instructed by the State Commission. Single-State applicants directed by their State Commission to apply directly to CNCS should do so. Please note that, after reviewing applications, CNCS may discuss awarding the grant to the State Commission in order for the Commission to award a sub-grant to the applicant. Alternatively, CNCS may award the grant directly to the successful applicant, but also may work cooperatively with the State Commission to oversee and monitor the performance of the grant.

Multi-State applicants: If your organization proposes to operate a program in more than one state, you are eligible to apply for a national grant. You will apply directly to the Corporation.

The purpose of this program is to use the AmeriCorps service model to improve the efficient and effective adjudication of immigration court proceedings involving unaccompanied children. Grants awarded in response to this Notice will enable grantees to enroll lawyers and paralegals to serve as AmeriCorps members (“AmeriCorps members” or “members”) providing legal services to this vulnerable population.

Specifically, the program is intended to provide legal services to children under the age of 16 who: (1) are not in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) or the Department of Homeland Security; (2) have received a Notice to Appear in removal proceedings before EOIR; and, (3) have not had their cases consolidated with removal proceedings against a parent or legal guardian (Unaccompanied Children or Unaccompanied Child); and (4) for continuation of existing programs, have their initial Master Calendar hearing in immigration court scheduled on or after January 2, 2015, one month prior to any new program’s start date. EOIR may consider exceptions to the date listed in (4) The legal representation shall be limited to immigration or custody proceedings before EOIR Immigration Courts; appellate proceedings before the Board of Immigration Appeals; proceedings before United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), including applications for asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status, and/or T or U non-immigrant status; and state court proceedings seeking orders necessary to support applications for SIJ status (Immigration Proceedings). Immigration Proceedings shall not include any claims, litigation, or other proceedings before federal district courts, courts of appeals, or the Supreme Court.

Proposed programs must provide legal services to Unaccompanied Children in Immigration Proceedings to increase the effective and efficient adjudication of immigration court cases involving those children. In addition, programs should facilitate the identification of Unaccompanied Children who have been victims of human trafficking or abuse and decrease the risk that those children may be trafficked upon return to their country of nationality or last habitual residence; screen Unaccompanied Children for abuse, trafficking, and trauma; refer suspected cases of abuse, trafficking, and trauma to appropriate law enforcement authorities and/or appropriate support services; build pro bono capacity to support the populations of unaccompanied children in the immigration court location(s) in which members will serve; and strengthen national service so that participants engaged in CNCS-supported programs consistently find satisfaction, meaning and opportunity.

Please direct questions about this Notice to americorpsgrants@cns.gov.