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...

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

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...

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...

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.

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...

USA Today details conditions at Dilley: illness, inadequate care, and months in custody. NCYL's Neha Desai: detention is “profoundly inhumane and dangerous,” and can cause deep physical and mental harm. www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

A newly published @sfchronicle.com op-ed by NCYL’s Margaret Olmos makes the case plainly: educational stability is one of the most effective tools for preventing homelessness. California knows what works, we’ve seen it. What’s missing is the political will to invest.

At just 15 years old, Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat on a bus and helped change our country for the better. Colvin died this month, but her inspiring legacy lives on. Read more from NCYL Executive Director Shakti Belway: medium.com/ncyl-news/re...

Deep appreciation to @supportkind.org, Public Counsel, and @theyoungcenter.bsky.social for filing an amicus brief highlighting the critical importance of the Flores Settlement's protections for unaccompanied and accompanied children held in federal immigration custody. Thank you!

Grateful to Ranking Members @jeff-merkley.bsky.social, @durbin.senate.gov, and @peters.senate.gov - and the 23 Senators that joined them – for filing an amicus brief supporting the Flores Settlement and the vital safeguards it provides for immigrant children detained in federal custody.

Grateful to have US Senators, State Attorneys General's Offices, and 180+ youth and immigration organizations and experts file amicus briefs in support of the Flores Settlement Agreement.  Flores is a foundational legal safeguard for immigrant children detained in federal custody.

Weakening or eliminating social safety nets, from childcare to food support, will have deep and lasting harm for children and families across the country. On our blog, NCYL Executive Director Shakti Belway implores us to demand better.

A nation’s priorities are reflected in how it treats its children. NCYL Executive Director Shakti Belway writes on our blog about how recent policy moves, like freezing childcare funds and making it harder to access food and care, have deep consequences for youth and families.

Nearly 300,000 California students are trying to learn without a stable place to call home. They're sleeping in cars, shelters, or moving from couch to couch. The newly proposed budget once again leaves students behind with no dedicated state funding.

Claudette Colvin, whose fearlessness and willingness to stand up to injustice as a teen has inspired generations of people, died this month at 86. Colvin's journey resonates deeply with us at NCYL, where we partner every day with youth who challenge the systems that fail them.

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.

5-year-old Liam is currently at Dilley, an ICE detention facility in Texas. NCYL's Neha Desai says children there have suffered a "dramatic decline in their physical and mental health;" it's "fundamentally unsafe for anyone, let alone young children." www.cbsnews.com/news/5-year-...

We are horrified by reports that ICE detained a five-year-old child in Minnesota, along with other young children. This is a matter of basic humanity. Children deserve safety, dignity, and care. Anything less is a moral failure.

WATCH: NCYL’s @rwolozin.bsky.social joined @pbsnews.org to discuss immigrant children in family detention and the lack of safe food, clean water, and medical care. We continue fighting for the rights of every child the government chooses to detain. Video: www.pbs.org/video/family...

This is about more than sports. The Supreme Court’s hearings this week on transgender student-athletes aren’t just about competition, they’re about dignity, inclusion, and whether every student has the right to thrive with their peers.

Still feeling energized after last week’s San Mateo County Prevention in Action Conference! NCYL was proud to sponsor and join educators, youth leaders, and advocates working to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline and strengthen cross-system collaboration.

Not just a game: this week's SCOTUS hearings on trans athletes impact civil rights and youth well-being far beyond the field. Let’s center joy, fairness, and belonging for all students. Read more on our blog from Johnathan Smith, NCYL's Chief of Staff & General Counsel: medium.com/ncyl-news/su...

NCYL ED Shakti Belway’s letter ran in @nytimes.com on AI governance and why strong guardrails are urgent. Kids’ well-being must be at the center of AI policy. Read more: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/o...

California has nearly 300,000 students experiencing homelessness, and the proposed budget from Gov. Newsom includes no dedicated funding to support them. NCYL's Paige Clark: “This inaction will have devastating consequences.” youthlaw.org/press/2026/0...

Does DCFS impact you or your communities? NCYL’s Tanya Gassenheimer and @chicagohomeless.bsky.social’s Thomas Edwards break down what Illinois families can expect, key legal protections, and helpful Cook County resources. 👇

New from @washingtonpost.com: The government is holding immigrant teens in a PA facility with a long record of abuse. NCYL’s Becky Wolozin saw it firsthand: "ORR is sending children to a juvenile detention center who should not be there." www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Trauma doesn’t end when trafficking does. Join us Jan 14 for “Intersections of Trauma and Trafficking,” hosted by the CSEC Action Team and NCCT, featuring Maria Contreras (NCYL) and Kelly Kinnish (NCCT), who will share trauma-informed tools to support youth healing.

January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month. At NCYL, we know prevention means addressing root causes like poverty, family separation, racism, and youth criminalization. Our CSE team advances trauma-informed policies that center safety, dignity, and healing for young people.

Join us Jan 9 for a conversation on ending the incarceration of girls and gender-expansive youth. @VeraInstitute, in partnership with NCYL, will spotlight the Ending Girls’ Incarceration National Toolkit and discuss non-punitive responses for youth.

As the year ends, remember: the measure of a nation is how it treats its children. Let your final act of 2025 protect their dignity. Give before midnight: action.youthlaw.org/a/measureoft...

Every major victory this year began with a single act of care. A family who refused to stay silent. A young person who shared the truth of what they lived. A supporter who believed every child deserves safety and possibility. If you make just one more gift in 2025, let it be for them.

As we close this year, we honor the young people whose courage guided our work. Children who trusted us with their stories. Youth who spoke up when systems failed them. Families who stood for justice even when it asked everything of them.

Today is the day. Your gift before midnight helps ensure NCYL is there in the moments that define a child’s future. Give now: action.youthlaw.org/a/measureoft...

Every gift today helps a child step into 2026 with more care, more protection, and more possibility. Donate: action.youthlaw.org/a/measureoft...

“Youth voice is super important… because when you leave people out of the conversation, you leave them out of the solutions.” - RHEP Youth Advisory Board Member Support youth leadership: action.youthlaw.org/a/measureoft...

Join us and @vera.org on Jan 9 for a webinar highlighting the Ending Girls’ Incarceration National Toolkit. Experts from Reimagine Freedom, Child & Family Policy Associates, and NCYL will discuss non-punitive responses.

At our Bright Futures Forum this year, youth shaped the agenda and defined what opportunity should look like. Give in their honor: action.youthlaw.org/a/measureoft...