Migration systems and policies must uphold the rights of children

NEW YORK, 1 May 2026 – “As countries convene for the International Migration Review Forum, the world faces a global turning point in how migration systems affect children. Globally, new laws, enforcement practices, and bilateral arrangements are rapidly changing.

“What is at stake is profound: whether children will be met with systems that uphold their rights and best interests, or risk exposing them to harm, family separation, and reduced access to protection.

“It is essential to reaffirm a core principle: protecting children and managing migration are not competing objectives. Migration governance, law enforcement, and child protection are complementary and mutually reinforcing when grounded in international standards and practical safeguards. Effective migration management can and must coexist with measures that protect children’s safety, dignity, and futures.

“We urge Member States to ensure migration policies uphold three child-focused priorities:

“1. End child immigration detention and apply alternatives for children and families.
Detention is never in the best interests of a child. States are encouraged to apply alternatives that allow children and families to remain together in the community with case management, while their migration or asylum cases are processed. Such alternatives are safer, more humane, and more cost-effective, while enabling authorities to adjudicate cases in an orderly manner.

“2. Keep enforcement operations out of places that must remain safe and protected spaces for children. Children and their families must be able to access medical care, education, and protection services without fear. Immigration enforcement actions in or around schools, hospitals, and other community spaces place children at risk and undermine access to these services. Children should never be targeted, apprehended, or exposed to enforcement operations in locations that are intended to be safe and protective.

“3. Prioritize family unity and ensure swift, well-resourced pathways for reunification. Family separation has devastating effects on children’s safety, stability, and development. Proactive measures to prevent family separation are possible when authorities coordinate across agencies and jurisdictions. When separation does occur, rapid identification, tracing, and reunification can reduce risks of exploitation, distress, and prolonged uncertainty, enabling families to be swiftly reunified whether in the same country or across borders. When in a child’s best interest, reunification with family in another country should be accompanied by case management and reintegration support.

“Children move across borders for complex reasons — conflict, poverty, family reunification, or other needs. Upholding their rights is not an obstacle to effective migration governance; it is a foundation for policies that are humane, lawful, and sustainable. UNICEF calls on all Member States to make specific pledges to protect children in migration, and by integrating child rights into migration policies and border management frameworks, demonstrate that migration can be managed in a way that protects children.”