Immigrants and Refugees
You are in the Immigrants and Refugees section of the Casey Foundation Knowledge Center, which offers resources that are either published or funded by the Casey Foundation. The following resources address access to services that encourage existing family strengths while supporting healthy social and economic integration.
See also Our Work: Immigrants and Refugees, an overview of Casey's investment in this issue.
Featured Publications

If Parents Don’t Speak English Well, Will Their Kids Get Locked Up? Language Barriers and Disproportionate Minority Contact in the Juvenile Justice System
2010
With support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Vera Institute of Justice has begun to document how the language barriers faced by parents of court-involved youth contribute to the greater likelihood of their child being prosecuted for criminal offenses, detained while his/her case is pending, and, ultimately, being sentenced to prison. Given that many children of immigrants are of color, language barriers can also contribute to the disproportionate representation of minorities in the juvenile justice system.
more >>

“We Want to Know What They Are Saying”—A Multiagency Collaborative Effort to Address Parent Language Barriers and Disproportionate Minority Contact
2010
This report from the Vera Institute details the approach of a multiagency collaborative work group, whose aim was to encourage parents with limited English proficiency to become engaged in New York City’s juvenile and criminal justice system.
more >>

Reports on America: Children in Immigrant Families Chart New Path
2009
The vast majority of the 16 million children in America's immigrant families are U.S. citizens who were born in the United States to foreign-born parents. The well-being of children in immigrant families varies based on their parents' country of origin, education, and the circumstances of their migration to the United States. This report culminates a three-year study of the characteristics of children in immigrant families funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
more >>

The Integration of Immigrants and Their Families in Maryland: The Contributions of Immigrant Workers to the Economy
2008
This report examines the contributions of immigrants to Maryland’s workforce between 2000 and 2006, with a focus on labor force characteristics of sub-populations of immigrants across countries of origin, education levels, wages, and English language ability.
more >>

Adult Literacy Education in Immigrant Communities: Identifying Policy and Program Priorities for Helping Newcomers Learn English
2007
This report offers an in-depth exploration of the pressing language barriers facing the estimated 2.23 million adults in this country who are Limited English Proficient, discussed at the Adult Literacy Education in Immigrant Communities summit held in Washington, D.C.
more >>
view all Immigrants and Refugees publications