Five leading child advocacy organizations have filed an amicus brief in federal court supporting a Bronx teen from Ecuador who is currently being held by the United States Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). His case was heard at a White Plains federal court on Monday, Nov. 17. We’ve reached out to the advocates for an update on the latest court proceedings and will share any updates we receive.

Established as a part of the Refugee Act of 1980, ORR initially supported refugees, asylees, unaccompanied refugee minors, and Cuban and Haitian entrants. However, over time, as designated by Congress, ORR’s mission grew to serve many different populations from around the world.

In 2003, Congress expanded ORR’s role to serve unaccompanied alien children . Through the Unaccompanied Alien Ch

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