EDITORIAL

The Role of Social Workers in Immigrant and
Refugee Welfare
Christine M. Rine

A

doi: 10.1093/hsw/hly030

© 2018 National Association of Social Workers

from their parents between April 19 and May 31 of
this year (Kopan, 2018a). Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended this policy by quoting the Bible (Kopan, 2018b; Long, 2018) as a means to obscure and
reframe its purpose as one of protection against crossboarder child smuggling, thus villainizing undocumented immigrants (NASW, 2018). In response, an
NASW press release urged that “Congress use its constitutional authority to insist the Trump Administration rescind this ill-conceived mandate” (NASW,
2018, last para.). NASW went on to validate its plea
by citing abundant research evidence in which findings indicate that family disruptions of this nature produce enduring trauma and in turn affect a host of
negative outcomes for youths (NASW, 2018).
Although President Trump continues to blame
democrats for the zero tolerance policy and resulting family separation, he suspended this practice
via Executive Order 13841 (2018), titled “Affording Congress an Opportunity to Address Family
Separation” on June 20; subsequently, on June 26,
2018, a federal district court injunction ordered a
stop to family separation and called for reunification ( Jarrett, 2018). However, a few weeks later, as
the deadline approached for family reunification to
be completed, plans for such were poorly supported and coordinated (Collinson, 2018; Mcardle,
2018; NASW, 2018). Although Executive Order
13841 may have allayed this recent practice of family separation for the time being, it did not end the
zero tolerance policy that allowed these practices
to occur, nor did it address current family detainment methods. Presently, the zero tolerance policy
remains in effect while the future of family detainment is uncertain.
The processes and procedures used by the Trump
administration in implementing the zero tolerance
policy bring attention to the role of social workers
as they are among those charged to care for the

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t the time of writing, a “zero tolerance”
policy intended to prosecute everyone
who attempts to cross the border illegally
and forcibly separate children from their parents is
a national concern on the forefront of the thoughts
and actions of social workers across the country.
The impact of this malicious approach to immigration permeates all aspects of practice, at the heart of
which are our clients. Our professional history in
immigrant and refugee welfare, coupled with current policies and their potential outcomes, place
social work at the center of both contention and
corrective action. Correspondingly, many social
workers have found themselves reexamining their
role in policy and practice efforts in response to this
current crisis and sequelae yet unknown.
The profession’s long history in supporting the
welfare of immigrant and refugee populations was
clearly established during the U.S. settlement house
movement in the late 1800s. As our focus in this
area continued to advance, it also became formalized within various iterations of the Code of Ethics
and the policy statements of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). From the start, the
ways in which social workers engage with immigrant and refugee policies and populations evolved
to reflect the ever-changing political climate and
movements of our time. Regardless of the profession’s previous contributions in this arena, recent
events triggered many social workers to reconsider
their current and future roles.
Once again, the profession is at the center of
immigration and refugee rights and is faced with a
new set of challenges with which to contend. The
callous and poorly thought out zero tolerance policy was widely implemented without exception in
April 2018 with the support of the White House
and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
As a result, an estimated 1,995 children were separated

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Our expertise and sustained accomplishment in
promoting the welfare of immigrant and refugee populations positions social workers to lead change
efforts now, while proactively preparing for challenges yet to come. As social workers remain on the
frontline in both practice and policy endeavors,
recent family separation practices and their implications afford an opportunity to consider our individual
roles and that of the profession. These unfortunate
developments have the potential to reignite focus on
political action and advocacy within individual social
workers, the organizations in which we practice, our
research agendas, and social work education. It is not
surprising that both anecdotal and objective practitioner accounts throughout settings indicate that
many are newly spurred to explore their personal
and professional roles. Although this editorial is not
intended to offer answers, it is intended to set the
stage for social workers to ask questions and seek
their own resolutions. HSW
REFERENCES
Chishti, M., & Bolter, J. (2018, May 24). Family separation
and “zero-tolerance” policies rolled out to stem
unwanted migrants, but may face challenges. Migration Policy Institute: Policy Beat. Retrieved from https://
www.migrationpolicy.org/article/family-separation-andzero-tolerance-policies-rolled-out-stem-unwantedmigrants-may-face
Collinson, S. (2018, July 7). The Trump administration separated families. Reuniting them is a giant mess. CNN
Politics. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/
07/07/politics/donald-trump-immigration-separationscrisis-politics/index.html
Cornish, A. (Host). (2018, June 15). Office of Refugee
Resettlement struggling to house migrant children
separated from parents [Radio broadcast episode].
Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2018/06/15/
620471047/office-of-refugee-resettlement-strugglingto-house-migrant-children-separated-fr
Exec. Order No. 13841, 83 Fed. Reg. 29435 (2018).
Hardy, R. (2016, March 15). The role of social work in the
refugee crisis. The Guardian: Social Care Network.
Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/socialcare-network/2016/mar/15/social-work-refugee-crisis
Jarrett, L. (2018, June 27). Federal judge orders reunification
of parents and children, end to most family separations at border. CNN Politics. Retrieved from https://
www.cnn.com/2018/06/26/politics/federal-courtorder-family-separations/index.html
Kopan, T. (2018a, June 16). DHS: 2,000 children separated
from parents at border. CNN Politics. Retrieved from
https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/15/politics/dhsfamily-separation-numbers/index.html
Kopan, T. (2018b, June 14). Sessions cites Bible to defend
immigration policies resulting in family separations.
CNN Politics. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/
2018/06/14/politics/jeff-sessions-immigrationpolicy-defense-biblical/index.html
Lind, D. (2018, June 15). The Trump administration’s separation of families at the border, explained. Vox.
Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/2018/6/11/

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well-being of detained children separated from their
parents. Upon separation, minors are transferred
to the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS), Office of Refugee Resettlement
(ORR), which becomes responsible for reuniting
children with their families or resettling them
through contracted for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations (Chishti & Bolter, 2018; Cornish, 2018; Lind, 2018). Because ORR’s purpose is
to temporarily house undocumented children, it has
historically employed social workers, psychologists,
and medical professionals to attend to the children’s
needs while detained (HHS, Administration for
Children & Families, ORR, n.d.). However, immigration lawyers contend that the Trump administration has increasingly used children’s records,
developed by ORR social workers and other professionals, in immigration court as evidence in determining their fate. Documentation derived by those
intended to support the well-being of detained
youths can result in unintended outcomes such as
deportation and detainment in more restrictive settings based on noted mental or behavioral health
conditions (Cornish, 2018; Lind, 2018; Nilsen,
2018). The role of social workers in ORR during
this family separation crisis exemplifies the constraints,
dual pressures, and frustrations felt by practitioners
nationwide; those who regularly engage with immigrant and refugee populations are likely to be acutely
conflicted and affected. These recent events and their
aftermath challenge the profession to redefine its role
in immigrant and refugee welfare in a manner that is
better aligned with the current political climate. Particularly, this challenges case versus cause in a way
that cannot be ignored.
Undoubtedly, the implementation and repercussions of family separation influences and informs
social work practice for clients and practitioners
alike. Discourse within news sources, social media,
and professional circles suggests that social workers
across the country are experiencing a wide range of
personal and professional conflicts that are inextricably intertwined. At the center of these quandaries is
the duality of social work, where micro and macro
functions often operate within discrete siloes regardless of efforts to appreciate both foci within the profession (Reardon, 2012). This recent immigration
policy debacle illustrates how social and political
forces can exacerbate professional tensions between
case and cause and the role of social work as a force
for social change or social control (Hardy, 2016).

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17443198/children-immigrant-families-separatedparents
Long, C. (2018, June 15). Sessions cites Bible to
defend separating immigrant families. AP News.
Retrieved from https://www.apnews.com/
0bcc5d5d077247769da065864d215d1b/Sessionscites-Bible-to-defend-separating-immigrant-families
Mcardle, M. (2018, June 21). Pelosi, Schumer urge Trump
to reunite separated families. National Review. Retrieved
from https://www.nationalreview.com/news/pelosischumer-trump-reunite-separated-families/
National Association of Social Workers. (2018, May 30).
NASW says plan to separate undocumented immigrant children from their parents is malicious and unconscionable [News
releases]. Retrieved from https://www.socialworkers
.org/News/News-Releases/ID/1654/NASW-saysplan-to-separate-undocumented-immigrant-childrenfrom-their-parents-is-malicious-and-unconscionable
Nilsen, E. (2018, June 19). Kids who cross the border meet
with therapists and social workers. What they say can
be used against them. Vox. Retrieved from https://
www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/6/18/
17449150/family-separation-policy-immigrationdhs-orr-health-records-undocumented-kids
Reardon, C. (2012). ‘Case’ and ‘cause’ in social work education—A balancing act. Social Work Today, 12(2), p. 20.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, Office of Refugee
Resettlement. (n.d.). What we do. Retrieved from
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/about/what-we-do

Christine M. Rine, PhD, is associate professor and director,
MSW program, Social Work Department, Edinboro University
of Pennsylvania, 235 Scotland Road, Hendricks Hall G-37,
Edinboro, PA 16444; e-mail: crine@edinboro.edu.
Advance Access Publication September 12, 2018

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