By Courtney Gibb
Special to The SUN
Question: How has the legal community helped unaccompanied immigrant children in Colorado?
Answer: Hundreds of unaccompanied children, often under the age of 10, and most fleeing horrific violence, trafficking and persecution in their home countries, are routinely forced to go through deportation proceedings at the Denver Immigration Court without legal representation.
Unaccompanied children have been entering the United States for many years, but, recently, the number of children seeking refuge from increased violence in their countries of origin — particularly in Central America — has increased exponentially. In 2014, over 60,000 unaccompanied immigrant children arrived in the United States. Most of the children came from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, although unaccompanied children may arrive from any country.
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