Important Announcement Regarding the ReUnite Project
Due to systematic withdrawal of federal funding for immigration services, significant policy shifts at the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), and the broader legal and political challenges, VECINA has made the difficult decision to transition the ReUnite Project out of active operations as of May 31st, 2025. As a result, we will be unable to reopen our ReUnite referrals or accept new ReUnite volunteers for the foreseeable future.
While this phase of ReUnite is coming to a close, our commitment to immigrant justice remains strong. VECINA is actively pursuing new funding opportunities with the hope of continuing this critical work in the future—whether in its current form or through a new iteration.
We are deeply grateful to the hundreds of dedicated ReUnite volunteers, partners, donors, and supporters who have made this work possible over the last four years. Thank you for standing with us and with immigrant families.
Breaking Barriers, Reuniting Families, Restoring Hope
VECINA’s ReUnite Project provides pro bono legal assistance to sponsors of detained unaccompanied immigrant children in order to help them navigate the complexities of the reunification process. Since ReUnite launched in March of 2021, we have provided reunification and post-release support to over 1,400 unaccompanied children. ReUnite is the only program in the United States that provides pro bono legal assistance to sponsors to help them secure the release of detained unaccompanied minors.
We recognize the critical role our referring partners play in connecting us with sponsors in need of reunification assistance. We happily accept referrals from UC legal service providers in the Acacia network, the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, UC care providers, and other community service providers working with unaccompanied minors or their loved ones. If you would like to refer a case for assistance through the ReUnite Project, please review the information below. You can also click here to learn more about the ReUnite Project.
ReUnite Project Referral Status
Referral Acceptance Status: CLOSED
Last updated on 3/18/25: We have paused our acceptance of new ReUnite referrals until further notice.
As you are likely aware, the recent chilling ORR policy updates have severely affected reunification options for many children in ORR custody, adding layers of complexity and heartache to an already difficult situation. This strategic pause on our referral acceptance is a necessary step as we address the cases in our pipeline and reflect on how best to continue supporting unaccompanied minors and immigrant families and explore how to reimagine our role in this evolving landscape as we evaluated where the needs are now.
We remain deeply committed to supporting immigrant children and their families, and we are incredibly grateful for your ongoing partnership. Your trust and collaboration are invaluable to us, and we are committed to keeping you informed of any updates as we gain more clarity on our next steps. Please feel free to reach out to ReUnite Project Director Molly Chew at molly@vecina.org if you have any questions or if you would like to schedule a call for further clarification or discussion.
We recognize that this is an incredibly challenging, confusing, and uncertain time for unaccompanied minors, their families, and the incredible advocates — like YOU — who work tirelessly to support them, no matter the turbulence they are confronting. We want you to know that we see you, we value you, and we stand in solidarity with you through these difficult times.
Referral Form
If the referral acceptance status above is listed as “OPEN,”, please complete this ReUnite Referral Form and email it to ReUnite Project Director Molly Chew at molly@vecina.org, copying ReUnite Project Manager Karen Cepeda at karen@vecina.org. When we receive your referral, we will reply to you as quickly as possible.
Flyers for Sponsors
When you refer a case to VECINA’s ReUnite Project, we know that it may be helpful for you to be able to share a flyer with the sponsor regarding our work. You are welcome to share the flyers below with sponsors, which include our ReUnite hotline number where sponsors can reach us if they have any questions.
English
Spanish
Haitian Creole
French
Portuguese
Dari
Russian
Ukrainian
Arabic
Mam
Q’eqchi
Kaqchikel
K’iche
Chuj
We intend to have these flyers translated into more languages as time goes on. You may notice that the flyers in the indigenous languages look a slightly different from the rest of the flyers because we have not yet had a chance to get these flyers translated into the newest version. However, the phone number for our hotline and the explanation of what we do are still the same on every flyer.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the ReUnite Project, our current referral acceptance status, the process of referring a sponsor for reunification assistance, or you are unsure whether a case is appropriate to refer to ReUnite, please don’t hesitate to contact ReUnite Project Director Molly Chew at molly@vecina.org.
We are grateful for your continued partnership and we look forward to helping reunite more families!