Congressman Dan Goldman Recognized as a ‘Defender of Children’ by First Focus Campaign for Children

Goldman Recognized for Introducing ‘Children’s Court Act’ to Create Children’s Docket for Immigration Courts to Protect Unaccompanied Migrants Navigating Immigration System

Goldman is Father of Five Children and Founding Member of the Congressional Dads Caucus

Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today was recognized as a ‘Defender of Children’ by the First Focus Campaign for Children. This recognition is due to his “legislative role to raise and move to the forefront those issues that are important for children.”

The First Focus Campaign for Children specifically cited Congressman Goldman’s work on H.R. 6145, ‘The Immigration Court Efficiency and Children’s Court Act,’ which would create a separate immigration court docket for minors, whose legal cases are generally more sensitive, complex, and time intensive for courts to process.

“I am honored to be recognized as a Defender of Children by the First Focus Campaign for Children,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “I’m a proud father to five children who inspire me to fight for the needs of all of our young people every single day that I serve in Congress. Government has the ability to lift up working families and ensure every child can succeed, and I will always work to ensure that the American Dream remains available to all children in the United States.”

Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus Campaign for Children said, "Our nation’s children are in crisis, with child poverty, homelessness, uninsured rates and even mortality rates of infants and children on the rise. We are grateful to Rep. Goldman for working to reverse these trends and for always putting the best interests of children first. We hope this accomplishment will inspire his colleagues to do the same.”

First Focus Campaign for Children’s 2023 Legislative Scorecard ranks members of Congress according to votes taken and bills sponsored and introduced during the first session of the 118th Congress that prioritize the well-being of children in the U.S. and around the world. The new report examines key pieces of legislation designed to protect children from toxic chemicals, sexual abuse, and other dangers; provide high-quality, affordable childcare; build wealth and promote stable financial futures; prevent child labor; promote mental health access in schools and address other issues critical to advancing the needs of all children everywhere.

In November 2023, Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10), was joined by Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27) to introduce the bipartisan ‘Children’s Court Act’ to combat the immigration court backlog and strengthen due process rights for children. U.S. Representatives Hillary Scholten (MI-03), and Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) also joined as original cosponsors of this legislation.

Unaccompanied migrant children face unique obstacles as they navigate the complex U.S. immigration system. They are often more vulnerable to human trafficking and labor exploitation than adults who enter the United States on their own. After they are placed into removal proceedings, many unaccompanied children appear alone before a judge in immigration court, often in a language they do not understand.

Additionally, children’s cases are legally complex and often take longer than adult cases to hear. As a result, there are more than 62,000 pending unaccompanied children’s cases in the United States.

The bipartisan, bicameral Immigration Court Efficiency and Children’s Court Act is a commonsense proposal to strengthen due process for vulnerable children and combat the immigration court backlog. The legislation would establish a Children’s Court within the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) focused on the adjudication of unaccompanied children’s removal proceedings.

In December, following the introduction of the ‘Children’s Court Act,’ EOIR released new guidance forchildren’s immigration proceedings that ensures specialized children’s dockets in each immigration court that will be held separate from adult cases and overseen by dedicated judges.

As a founding member of the Congressional Dads Caucus, in which he is Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Working Group, Congressman Dan Goldman has made fighting for policies to uplift families and protect our children a top priority during his time in Congress.

Last year, Congressman Goldman cosponsored the ‘Job Protection Act’ to expand the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to protect millions of workers who are currently unable to take time off to care for themselves or their families. He is also an original cosponsor of the ‘American Family Act’ which would expand and make permanent the Child Tax Credit, one of the most effective anti-child poverty programs in the country.

Goldman also cosponsored the ‘Universal School Meals Program Act’ to provide free breakfast, lunch, and dinner to every student, expanding on the success of the universal free lunch programs implemented during the pandemic and bringing long-term relief to millions of food-insecure families. He also supports the ‘Child Care for Working Families Act’ to lower the cost of child care for working families by capping childcare costs at 7 percent of a family’s income.

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