The Chelsea Collaborative and the MIRA Coaltion – both pro-immigration reform groups – will hold a roundtable meeting on July 10 to address the hot-button issue of unaccompanied children crossing the southern border illegally.
The meeting will take place from 3-5 p.m. at the Collaborative on Broadway and will focus on strategies to support local families and children caught up in this situation.
The Collaborative said that government statistics show that unaccompanied children crossing the southwestern border have increased 92 percent over the last year. The children range in age from 4 to 17 and are coming from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Many have families in the U.S., including some in the Boston area.
Those sitting at the table formulating solutions will be legal service providers, community-based organizations, refugee resettlement agencies, immigrant advocacy agencies, Central American consulates and others.
Following that, at 5:30 p.m., the Collaborative will sponsor a ‘Know Your Rights Immigration Summit’ at Chelsea High School. The focus of the summit will be discussing unaccompanied children who have crossed the border and there will also be an update on deferred action – which was announced two years ago this summer.