Division of Immigration Services

The Children’s Village is an agency that has served immigrant youth for more than 150 years. The Agency’s founding mission in 1851 was to shelter the orphaned and immigrant children roaming the streets of New York City. The Division of Immigrantion Services brings CV full circle.

Funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, CV’s immigration programs include short-term shelters, foster homes, and support for children who have come to the U.S. without a guardian. CV provides these children, who are often at risk of exploitation, a  safe place to live that is nurturing and culturally-responsive. Youth are reunited with family members or, when that is not possible, returned safely to their home countries.

First Lady of Mexico, Margarita Zavala, visits the TRAC program in November 2010.

As part of the Division of Immigration Servcies, Children’s Village operates a Transitional Residence for Alien Children (TRAC). Children are referred to the TRAC Program by the Office of Refugee Resettlement while they are awaiting disposition of their refugee status. They are cared for in the transitional home until they are released from custody by ORR or returned to their home country by the State Department. Until recently, these children were held in the custody of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, but lawsuits over INS treatment of these children prompted lawmakers to transfer custody to the ORR as part of the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

The CV TRAC Program is operated in a protective family-like and nurturing environment, encouraging emotional, intellectual, social, and physical growth. Services for the children include education, recreation, medical care, counseling, family reunification, and English language training, as well as other services to help them become self-sufficient, acculturated adults. The program provides shelter for approximately 50 boys and girls in four cottages on our Dobbs Ferry campus.

Consul General Carlos M. Sada Visits TRAC

In December 2011, Consul General Carlos M. Sada of Mexico and his staff met with agency staff and visited the four TRAC cottages, talked with the children, listened  to stories of how they came to the U.S., and offered to provide them support . The youth presented him with a lovely piece of art representing his home country. Consul Sada pledged the support of the consulate as we work with young people from Mexico, as well as assistance in building relationships with the other Central American Consulates who have children in our programs.

Following his visit Consul Sada said, “The programs that the Institution has developed for them represent an excellent opportunity for the children to be reintegrated to a better life once they are back into society. I look forward to continue working with you and to strengthen  the relationship between CV/TRAC and the Mexican Consulate in order to better serve our community.”