Gladis Molina Alt

“What am I going to be in this place?” That is the question that ran through ten-year-old Gladis Molina Alt’s mind as she peered out of the airplane window, in awe of the myriad lights below in Los Angeles, as  Gladis arrived from El Salvador, seeking to reunite with her parents, who had fled the violence of the civil war several years earlier. About one month later, her family was finally all together in safety, , when her brothers arrived by land, after riding on trains through Mexico. They were all eventually able to adjust their immigration status and Gladis is now a proud U.S. Citizen.

Gladis’s refugee and immigrant experience helped mold her into one of the country’s leading voices for children’s rights in the complex, convoluted, and confusing immigration legal system. As the Executive Director of the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, she leads attorneys, social workers and volunteers who serve as Child Advocates (similar to guardians ad litem) for children in government custody and facing removal (deportation). Their role is unique in the immigration legal system, as their role centers on advocating for the best interests of the child. The Young Center’s goal is to reimagine a system in which every immigrant child is treated like a child and that their best interests are considered in every decision in the legal process.

Before stepping into her leadership role  at the Young Center, Gladis worked as an immigration attorney at the ABA South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Project (ProBAR), Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), and the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project. She has served as a working group member on the ABA Working Group on Unaccompanied Minors and was the Keynote Speaker at the 2019 ABA/KIND Unaccompanied Children’s Conference.

As part of an exciting new initiative for Gladis and the Young Center, they will be providing technical assistance to participants in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. While this is only in its initial stages, the Young Center’s aim is to be a robust expert resource on navigating the complexities of the immigration and repatriation process to help ensure that children, families, providers, and advocates in child welfare and juvenile justice proceedings  have the resources and knowledge to protect the rights of  immigrant children caught in multiple systems.

“The child welfare and juvenile justice systems are increasingly working with children who have an immigration story. We want to resource this portion of the child’s case, rather than forget or ignore what the child will face along the way for being an immigrant, or allow immigration status to adversely impact the outcome of the child’s case.”

Gladis is thankful for the mentors and advocates who helped her along the way, especially attorneys, like Gloria Curiel and Mary Mucha, whose pro bono efforts and projects provided the resources and knowledge Gladis needed to fully realize her own path to U.S. Citizenship. At this stage of her career, Gladis most relishes in the Young Center’s role to be there for the children--and their families--through a difficult and complex journey

“Migrating is not an easy journey. Especially when it is motivated by forced circumstances. Children often do not have full access to resources; they experience trauma, and they need someone to welcome, advocate, and provide resources for them. One resource is accompanying  them for part of that journey.”

Gladis encourages young people thinking about a career working with immigrant children to learn early on about mindfulness and self-care practices  because the work involves helping children who have suffered trauma, detention, and often hopelessness. Professionals in this field exhaust their inner resources and experience burnout. Learning to sustain oneself in this work is key and that takes intentionality. Together, Gladis’s family, friends, colleagues, and community support and sustain her to continue working on behalf of immigrant children.

If you are interested in volunteering with the Young Center, you may find more information here.

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