The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced a new Alternatives to Detention (ATD) Case Management Pilot Program (CMPP), which will provide voluntary case management and other services to ensure that noncitizens in removal proceedings have access to legal information and other critical services. Alternatives to Detention is an important tool used by DHS for individuals and families as they await the outcome of immigration proceedings. This new congressionally directed pilot will supplement existing Alternatives to Detention programs run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and will inform best practices moving forward.
“We are excited to partner with nonprofit organizations and local governments on this pilot program to improve services for noncitizens in immigration proceedings,” said DHS Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Officer Katherine Culliton-González, who will chair the National Board for the Case Management Pilot Program. “I encourage organizations working with noncitizens to apply to serve on the Case Management Pilot Program National Board and help us make this pilot program a success.”
Funds will be awarded to nonprofit organizations and local governments through a National Board, similar to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program. Case Management Pilot Program services will include, among others: mental health services; human and sex trafficking screening; legal orientation programs; cultural orientation programs; connections to social services; and departure planning and reintegration services for individuals returning to their home countries.
As part of the United States’ COVID-19 mitigation efforts, DHS continues to expel the majority of single adults, and, to the extent possible, families encountered at the Southwest Border in accordance with the CDC’s Title 42 Order. Individuals participating in this program are those who cannot be expelled under or are otherwise excepted from Title 42.
The application process for the ATD Case Management Pilot Program National Board is currently open. Members of the National Board must have experience in the immigration or asylum field, alternatives to detention and/or case management programs, along with additional criteria, and will be chosen via a Request for Information process. The National Board will be responsible for awarding funds to eligible local governments and nonprofit organizations, and overseeing and managing the pilot program.
To learn more and to apply to serve on the Case Management Pilot Program National Board, please view the Request for Information (RFI) and accompanying Frequently Asked Questions. Applications are due by September 17, 2021. Per the RFI, please submit applications and any questions to: [email protected].
