A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

where lengthy family separation has been the result of U.S. immigration policy. The separation of
families was consistently reported as one of the most traumatic outcomes of the Liberian conflict
and has resulted in ongoing trauma for many Liberians.
The conflict also resulted in the reorganization of many
families. For example, statement givers frequently
reported assuming responsibility for the children of
their siblings who had been killed or gone missing
during the war. In this regard, clearly identified needs
in the Liberian community include assistance in caring
for children when parents are working, assistance in
developing discipline methods that comport with child
protection laws, and support for families dealing with
role reversals in a new culture.
The U.N. Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the
Status of Refugees & Stateless Persons has specifically
recommended that governments take the necessary measures for the protection of a refugee’s family
especially with a view to:
(1) Ensuring that the unity of the refugee’s family is maintained particularly in cases where
the head of the family has fulfilled the necessary conditions for admission to a particular
country,
(2) The protection of refugees who are minors, in particular unaccompanied children and
girls, with special reference to guardianship and adoption. 459
The Executive Committee of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has recommended that countries
of asylum apply liberal criteria in identifying those family members who can be admitted in order
to promote a comprehensive reunification of the family. 460 “When deciding on family reunification,
the absence of documentary proof of the formal validity of a marriage or of the filiation of children
should not per se be considered as an impediment.” 461 The Executive Committee also noted that, in
order to promote the rapid integration of refugee families in the country of settlement, close family
members should in principle be granted the same legal status and facilities as the head of the family
who has been formally recognized as a refugee. 462 In appropriate cases, family reunification should
be facilitated by special measures of assistance to the head of family so that economic and housing
difficulties in the country of asylum do not unduly delay the granting of permission for the entry of
the family members. 463
These principles are important guidelines, and The Advocates for Human Rights recommends that
487
Chapter Fourteen
Potential Implementation Strategy:
Enact the Child Citizen Protection Act
Passage of The Child Citizen Protection
Act would amend the Immigration and
Nationality Act in the case of an alien
subject to removal, deportation, or
exclusion who is the parent of a U.S. citizen
child to authorize an immigration judge to
decline to order such removal if the judge
determines that such action is against the
child’s best interests.