NEW YORK, United States (CMC) – Immigration advocates in the United States have condemned a proposed new Trump administration policy that targets undocumented Caribbean and other immigrant children.

The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an immigration advocacy organisation that comprises over 200 immigrant groups in New York, said that the administration is “prepping a new enforcement operation targeted at unaccompanied children”.

NYIC president and chief executive officer, Murad Awawdeh, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that, “according to the leaked plans, children who are in court proceedings to prove their legal rights to stay in the US will be threatened with indefinite detention and immediate transfer to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency) on their 18th birthday–unless they drop their cases.

“For those with parents in the US, the letter threatens the parents with arrest as well,” Awawdeh said, adding more than 50,000 unaccompanied children have been reunified with families in New York in the past 10 years.

“The NYIC advises any child or other person who receives a threat letter to contact an immigration attorney immediately. Children fleeing violence and seeking safety deserve compassion, stability, and fairness–not cruelty.

“Each and every one of us, regardless of age or circumstance, also deserves a fair chance to present our case in a court of law. Instead of protecting these rights, the federal government is creating new pathways to deny safety to those who are most vulnerable.”

Awawdeh said this policy pressures children to abandon their legal claims and return to a life of fear and danger without ever receiving a fair hearing and that the chaos built into this policy will devastate families and communities, and it is targeted to hurt children.

He called on the Trump administration to “reverse course on this policy, respect and uphold due process.”

Awawdeh also called on New York State elected representatives to protect all young people in the state, pass the Access to Representation Act to guarantee that every immigrant–regardless of age–has legal representation in immigration court, “ensuring due process, protecting families, and reaffirming our country’s commitment to justice and freedom for all.”

Late last week, Caribbean immigrant advocacy groups warned of the “grave impact” of the federal government shutdown on Caribbean and other immigrants.

The San Diego, California-based Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) said it was “gravely concerned about the impact of the government shutdown on immigrant communities.

“A shutdown of even a few days could delay asylum hearings, stall visa and work permit applications, and slow the already overwhelming immigration court backlog,” HBA’s Founder and Executive Director Guerline Jozef told CMC.

Awawdeh said that court appearances for many Caribbean and other immigrants were rescheduled without notice. He said immigration courts across the country have responded to the shutdown “inconsistently, creating chaos in New York courthouses.