If you have questions about your immigration case or are trying to help an immigrant who is under 18 and in the U.S. without parental support, please contact an immigration attorney for a consultation.

While Bethany cannot endorse individual attorneys, the National Immigration Project can refer you to an immigration attorney in your area.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) provides a hotline for parents or potential sponsors to locate their child within its network of care providers. Call the ORR National Call Center at 800-203-7001 and they will ensure your message gets to the shelter or foster care program caring for your child.

If you have questions about your immigration case or the case of an unaccompanied child, please contact an immigration attorney for a consultation.

While Bethany cannot endorse individual attorneys, the National Immigration Project can refer you to an immigration attorney in your area.

Please contact the assigned caseworker or see below.

If you were notified of a court date for your released child in Michigan’s Immigration Court, please notify the assigned caseworker.

If you are having difficulty getting your child enrolled in public school, please know that your child has a legal right to receive an education without fear of deportation or discrimination. You don’t have to present a green card, visa, passport, alien registration number, social security number, or any other proof of citizenship or immigration status to get your child enrolled. It is unlawful for the school ask for proof of citizenship, and if they ask if you’re immigrants, you don’t have to answer. If school personnel are insistent that you provide legal residency information after you have refused to do so, it’s a violation of federal law.

For assistance, you can contact school district officials, an attorney, the Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education at 800-421-3481, or the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) at 212-549-2500.

If you have a concern or grievance about the care provided to your unaccompanied child that was, or is, in care at Bethany, please contact Hannah Mills, program manager for unaccompanied children services at 616-340-7103.

The family member needs to be registered as a refugee by the United National High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR). If your family member has refugee status and a U.S. resettlement case number, Bethany can request the case. It is important that the family member lists you as a “U.S. tie,” and has your correct address and phone number. For more information on getting family members to the U.S., please complete the online form, indicating family reunification as your area of interest.

A survivor of torture is someone who endured severe physical or mental pain or suffering by a government or de facto authority (i.e. a rebel group) outside of the United States. The specific acts of torture may include systematic beatings, sexual torture, rape, deprivation, isolation, or humiliation.

Therapy services are provided to help you understand how past trauma may be influencing your family life and current life decisions, prepare for cultural adjustments, and manage stress. Holistic case management includes referrals and assistance in finding housing, employment, and medical or legal assistance. Bethany provides these services in our Grand Rapids, Michigan office. Find other Survivor of Torture programs in the U.S.

If you are in danger, please call 911 for immediate help, or call 888-373-7888 (Text Telephone, TTY: 711) to reach the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC), a confidential national, toll-free hotline, available 24 hours a day to answer calls from anywhere in the country. You can also text 233733 to reach NHTRC.