A Story of Hope - Serving Immigrant Unaccompanied Children in LA County
2023 NACo Achievement Award Winner
Los Angeles County, Calif., CA
About the Program
Category: Children and Youth
Year: 2023
In 2021, the number of immigrant unaccompanied children (UC) apprehended by border patrol at the southwest border of the United States (US) and placed into detention rose to alarming numbers that surpassed the federal government’s ability to safely care and transition these children to traditional long-term facilities. A necessary pivot resulted in the establishment of Emergency Intake Sites (EIS) and due to the quick action of the First District Office, the Pomona Fairplex became home to one of these sites. In this initiative, eight Los Angeles (LA) County departments* partnered with the federal government to build the Pomona Fairplex EIS, the team that welcomed 10,000 children to the site and successfully reunited over 8,000 children with their families in the US.