Trans youth deserve access to medically necessary care — not discrimination. New proposed gov't rules would set a double standard & upend care for thousands of young people and their families. NCYL Policy Manager Dana Paycao dives into the impacts on our NCYL blog:
medium.com/ncyl-news/tr...
Kids are being re-detained after traffic stops or chance ICE encounters, then held for months while previously approved sponsors are forced to start over. NCYL and @democracyforward.org just filed Diego N. v. HHS today to end this unlawful policy. youthlaw.org/press/2026/0...
The DOJ shouldn’t be weaponized to attack LGBTQ-inclusive education. These probes of 3 Michigan districts break with precedent. NCYL’s Johnathan Smith: “These investigations depart from longstanding DOJ practice of not dictating… school curriculum.” www.the74million.org/article/just...
Quote from Dana Walters Flores, NCYL Senior Program Manager: "The YOS facility has deteriorated to such an extent that the legislature must now step in to mandate basic disability accommodations, access to education, and vocational training -- services that are not optional, but are the very foundation for YOS's statutory purpose. This is not a failure of a single facility. It is the inevitable outcome of sending children and youth into an adult corrections bureaucracy."
The day before the MOTUS Theater Capitol performance, NCYL’s Dana Walters Flores testified for HB 26-1064. Her message was clear: sentencing youth as adults causes predictable harm. Colorado can choose prevention, healing, and community solutions.
ICE in schools threatens student safety and trust. Join NCYL for a webinar on how schools and advocates can prepare, respond, and protect students and families.
📅 Feb 12 | 2 PM ET
Register here: bit.ly/ICEinSchools
Without state action, systems that helped students succeed during the pandemic are already disappearing. Today, NCYL is joined by youth leaders and advocates to ask the CA Assembly for critical state funding to ensure progress isn’t erased.
California educates more students experiencing homelessness than any other state — nearly 300,000 each year — yet provides no dedicated state funding to support their education. That’s why NCYL is supporting legislation to change that.
How can schools respond to immigration enforcement while protecting students and families? Hear lessons and practical guidance from school leaders and advocates across the country.
📅 Feb 12 | 2 PM ET
Register here: bit.ly/ICEinSchools
NCYL's Becky Wolozin: “Liam is all the kids there. Just like Liam, we’ve had families tell us how their children have been horribly sick and throwing up repeatedly, refusing to eat and becoming despondent and listless.”
School leaders play a critical role in protecting students when immigration enforcement shows up at school. Join NCYL for a webinar on practical guidance, policies, and lessons learned from districts across the country.
📅 Feb 12 | 2 PM ET
Register here: bit.ly/ICEinSchools
As AI becomes more integrated in daily life, we must ensure systems don’t exploit vulnerability, especially in children. On our blog, NCYL Law Clerk Hannah Frizzell writes about the importance of strong regulations that value young people's safety and well-being:
medium.com/ncyl-news/de...
Measles cases detected at Dilley, where 5-year-old Liam was detained, amid longstanding alarms about conditions, medical care. NCYL's Neha Desai: “This is an untenable situation…families should never be detained.” www.texastribune.org/2026/02/02/m...
Protecting youth's first amendment rights to information is critical to a just society. Tennessee’s law punishes people who help youth understand legal reproductive health care options. NCYL filed an amicus urging the Sixth Circuit to affirm youth rights.
youthlaw.org/press/2026/0...
AI is affecting children's mental health and lives. Our laws need real safeguards that prioritize well-being. On our blog, NCYL Law Clerk Hannah Frizzell writes about the importance of strong regulations:
medium.com/ncyl-news/de...
The government is attempting to eliminate the most basic protections for immigrant children. Without these safeguards, children face the risk of mass, indefinite imprisonment in dangerous facilities. We need it now, more than ever. #ProtectFlores
Read more ⬇️
youthlaw.org/press/2026/0...
@supportkind.org, Public Counsel, and @theyoungcenter.bsky.social filed an amicus brief in support of Flores: "The loss of fundamental safeguards would jeopardize children’s safety and well-being during their time in government custody and beyond."
Immigration lawyers, law professors, scholars, and former judges filed a brief in support of Flores: "...[Flores] provides a crucial safeguard that...should prevent children from being subject to indefinite detention during the pendency of their immigration court proceedings."
@hrw.org filed an amicus brief in support of Flores: "...the U.N. special rapporteur on torture has concluded that immigration detention of children puts them at risk of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment."
The @ameracadpeds.bsky.social and orgs dedicated to children’s well-being filed an amicus brief in support of Flores: "Studies of detained immigrants found negative physical and emotional symptoms among detained children, including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder..."
@raicestexas.bsky.social filed an amicus brief in support of Flores: "...recent developments indicate that the Government’s violations [of Flores] are escalating and increasing in frequency... " such as deplorable medical care for families in Dilley, on at least 700 occasions since August, 2025.
20 State Attorneys General's Offices filed an amicus brief in support of Flores: "Maintaining the agreement is critical for protecting Amici States' ability to act in support of the rights and well-being of its child residents."
26 US Senators filed a brief in support of Flores: “The [One Big Beautiful Bill] Act’s detention-related provisions appropriated funds for detention capacity...but could not and did not override the Flores Settlement Agreement’s requirements for how detention must be conducted.”
Urgency grows as hundreds of children languish in immigration detention—sick, scared, and depressed.
A judge’s order last weekend sent Liam Conejo Ramos back home to Minneapolis. But so many others remain jailed. Leaders nationwide are speaking out to defend a critical legal safeguard. ⬇️
AI chatbots are shaping young lives. Without strong guardrails, they can cause catastrophic harm. NCYL Law Clerk Hannah Frizzell writes on our blog about the importance of regulations that prioritize youth safety and well-being:
medium.com/ncyl-news/de...
On our blog, NCYL Executive Director Shakti Belway remembers Colvin, who died this month, for her courage and inspiring leadership:
medium.com/ncyl-news/re...
Claudette Colvin’s act of defiance at 15 years old was a defining moment in the early Civil Rights Movement. Her courage helped fuel progress across the country.
NCYL's David Hinojosa writes on our blog about why we must safeguard education for immigrant youth:
medium.com/ncyl-news/st...
Across the country, communities are feeling the ripple effects when immigrant families fear sending their children to school: attendance drops, anxiety rises, and whole neighborhoods are destabilized. Education is more than instruction; it’s hope, trust, and possibility.
@cbsnews.com reports measles infections at Dilley (where 5-year-old Liam was detained). Neha Desai (NCYL): “We are deeply concerned for the physical and the mental health of every family detained at Dilley… no family needs to be detained — this is a choice.” www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-dil...
Fear shouldn’t be part of the school day. When immigrant students feel safe, all students benefit. Stronger schools = stronger communities. NCYL's David Hinojosa writes on our blog about the importance of safeguarding education for immigrant youth:
medium.com/ncyl-news/st...
