The USA Province is honored to be part of FMSI’s participation in the Universal Periodic Review process. Our Province invited three district Marist groups within our Province to hold listening sessions to raise concerns and challenges within our country in rela:on to issues of human rights with a par:cular emphasis on the rights of children and young people in the most vulnerable condi:ons. The three groups we invited to participate were as follows:

• Our USA Marist Schools,
• Those working with Migrants and Refugees in our Encuentro Project in El Paso, TX.
• Our Mid-Hudson Valley Camps in Esopus, NY. These camps which have operated for the past 54 years serve a number of our most diverse and marginalized populations including mentally and physically disabled children and adults, children with cancer as well as impoverished children from the inner cities.

Four of our six USA Marist-owned Schools held focused listening sessions during the months of January and February 2025. The four schools which participated were Christoper Columbus High School in Miami, FL, Marist High School in Chicago, IL, Mt. St. Michael Academy in NY and St. Joseph Academy in Brownsville, TX.

In analyzing the individual summary reports from each of our four Marist owned schools which conducted the listening sessions with over 250 USA Marist students, the following common issues were raised by the students in each group. Depending on the socio-economic or cultural-racial composition of the participating schools, the responses varied based on these attributes and qualities.

• Students believe that children of migrants should NOT be “discriminated against” due to their parents citizenship status, especially when many of them have been legally born in the United States.
• Students expressed the lack of support or resources for young people of migrant backgrounds - stemming from Early Education Programs with a lack of ESL support - Direct quote: “they prepare us for assimilating behaviors and how to be and exist in a classroom, but not necessarily how to assimilate to learning differently.”
• Several students recounted experiences of other young people they personally know from their communi:es who must drop out of school at early ages. These young people are being deprived of educa:on because of the need to work with their parents (usually at a restaurant, or in the construc:on industry), to help support their families. Some of these young people in turn are enticed to “find” communities where they “do belong” - which often leads them into street gangs, fueled by their ability to make “quick money” to support their families.
• Young people of migrant backgrounds find it very hard to find “healthy” communities of their native cultures which leads them to be attracted to the “bad parts” of our culture, sucked in by generational habits, with no guidance or leadership ■ Due to the lack of leadership and guidance, young people are resorting to make major life decisions that are greatly impacting their future in a very negative manner.
• Racial Profiling leads to migrant and immigrant families systematically being exposed to low income neighborhoods, lack of education, lack of good job opportunities and no way to “break the cycle.”
• Many students recognized that the USA Immigra:on system is in great need of repair and that few people understand it as there is an abundance of misinforma:on. While immigration reform is badly needed, many students acknowledged that many migrants and refugees who are caught in this situation are legitimacy trying to escape horrible and unsafe situations in their home countries.
• Separation of families when children are legal, but parents are undocumented is a major problem in our country.
• Racial profiling is rampant, particularly when requesting immigration documentation by law enforcements agents.
• The deportation of innocent individuals who contribute positively to society.
• Whether it was a concern and development of practical problems effecting the poorer and less advantaged groups or the need to have fair legal immigration —or issues with illegal immigrants— student opinions were heartfelt and thoughtful. Fear and danger played a role in their views as did the economic status of the responders.

• Violence, par:cularly gun violence and school shoo:ngs, was a major concern. Students feel unsafe due to the increasing prevalence of violent incidents.
• Gun violence and road rage incidents.
• False allegations of sexual assault.
• Need for more frequent & consistent review of school safety plans with students

• Cyber bullying is more prevalent than physical bullying. It has also become somewhat normalized. The students felt strongly that if students who are being bullied tell adults about it, the bullying only gets worse and increases. Students (children) need to be educated about what exactly bullying is and the effect(s) it has or can have on their peers. This might encourage students to stop bullying.
• Students concerns revolve around influence of social media on mental health, privacy, misinformation, and the broader societal impact of digital plaeorms.
• Prevalence of teen suicide and its connec:on to social media pressure ✴Desensi:za:on of youth to violence and explicit content
• Easy access to pornography and its link to human trafficking
• AI edi:ng and fake images being used to manipulate or harm individuals ✴Media bias—poli:cal news and events being presented selec:vely
• Phone addic:on and its role in distrac:ng from real-life interac:ons
• In poorer sec:ons-lack of adult or parental control or guidance played a larger role in advancing help or lacking guidance. The median group tended to focus in on the role of addic:on to media, to loss of focus, denigra:on of socializa:on etc. All the groups, seemed quite concerned about the long range results in socializa:on and rela:onal issues cause by things like TIK TOK, Amazon etc. It was surprising how much the youth realized the hazardous effects of too much social media, cell usage, AI , cyber bullying had on their normal lives.

• LGBTQ+ rights and concerns regarding discrimina:on in educa:onal environments.
• The topic of substance abuse led to a conversa:on of mental health, and poten:al suicides, and the rise of mental health issues in young people today.
• The students agreed that by and large, young people do not have access to good support systems for emo:onal/mental support, nor are they taught good coping mechanisms
• Topics of “men’s mental health” was raised. Men are taught not to be open about their emo:ons. Societal s:gmas around men who are “open about their emo:ons” or who are in touch with them.

Some Direct quotes from students:

• “We need to preserve the environment so that future genera:ons can live safely on earth.”
• “We need to reduce CO2 emissions.”
• “The recycling industry needs to be reformed.”
• “People are s:ll ques:oning whether global warming is real. I don’t think it should be a ques:on - it’s real and we should be more focused on solving it.
• Air pollu:on and the quality of the air is affec:ng the health of young people.”

Other concerns: companies like Amazon or Temu encouraged the purchase of too many consumables...things that we do not even need...and at the same :me adding more garbage to the environment with the mul:ple boxes and packaging.

• Drunk driving and its impact on road safety.

• The ease of obtaining alcohol and other addic:ve substances and that Alcohol and drug use is oben normalized.
• Steroids can be a big problem for athletes.
• The presence of laced or harmful substances in illegal drugs such as fentanyl.
• The accessibility of alcohol to underage students and related risks.
• One of the points raised was that, par:cularly in the legaliza:on of marijuana, drugs are being marketed to young people today - with dispensaries popping up in suburban areas with lights, and aZrac:ve things to lure young people into the store .
• Social Media also plays a use role in substance abuse and exposure by normalizing the “marijuana” or “pill-popping” culture Ex. A student spoke about a TikTok trend recently where people mimicked side-effects of fentanyl use, the way they would a dance trend, and it caught on, becoming a trend. Ex. Another student spoke about “galaxy gas” which was a huffing trend that recently aired on Social Media - a revival of what was called “whip-its” in the late 90s/early 2000s.
• The use of opioids for pain management oben leads to addic:on because doctors overprescribe these.

• College and Financial Inequality
• Cultural Issues
• Obesity and issues of consumerism in USA
• Sexual Abuse

On February 11, 2025, a listening session was held in El Paso with members of the Marist and Maryknoll Communi:es to raise current concerns and issues related to the ongoing immigra:on crisis with par:cular emphasis on those who cross the USA/Mexican Border in El Paso. A summary of their mee:ng is below.

• Immigrants receive false narra:ves that coming to and seZling in the United States will be easier than it is
  • Immigrants receive conflic:ng informa:on from different sources 

• Byzantine US immigration and asylum regulations
  • Difficulty in navigating court system

• Trafficking; violence; lack of access to housing
• Immigrants face security challenges: physical safety, housing, employment
• Many immigrants come with enormous debts to smugglers and traffickers
• It is common for women to be assaulted and raped on the journey; many of the women are arriving pregnant

• The right of seeking asylum itself is being violated
• Many immigrants face physical violence, assault, rape, kidnapping, torture, extortion, sex trafficking, and murder on the journey. They face racism and discrimina:on on the journey and in the United States.
• Employers in the US some:mes take advantage of immigrants through wage theb and and unsafe working condi:ons
• Immigrants can face police violence
• Women are almost always more vulnerable, because they are physically smaller, targeZed for sexual assault, and are oben responsible for caring for children. Women are also oben leaving behind more desperate situa:ons at home, because they are less inclined to migrate than single men, so when if leave their home, things have become very bad.
• LGBTQ immigrants face even more discrimina:on and s:gma on the journey and in the US

• Many of the immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers are minors: 16 and 17 year olds seeking educa:on opportuni:es
• Family separa:on is s:ll common
• Children and teenagers are frequently targeted by gangs and drug traffickers for recruitment
• There are divided families, where the parents are undocumented immigrants or asylum seekers and their children are US ci:zens
• Children have been displaying PTSD behaviors from the journey that their parents do not know how to deal with
• Children are behind because of severely disrupted access to educa:on
• These children have generally lost their childhood
• Girls are being raped just as often as women. It is not unusual for a 14 year old girl to arrive pregnant.

• So many arrivals carry trauma from their journey through Central America and Mexico
• The elimina:on of legal means of entering the US and applying for asylum creates more “wall falls,” leading to more injuries and deaths
• Asylum seekers are now avoiding hospitals since hospital administrators have started to inquire about immigra:on status, leading to worse medical outcomes or death
• Asylum seekers cannot find gainful employment to address the problems they are facing

Br. Dan met with the Directors of the Mid-Hudson Valley Camps on February 12, 2025 and invited them to reflect on what are the most prevalent issues and concerns facing the various marginalized popula:ons they serve in rela:ons to human rights. The Mid-Hudson Valley Camps consists of seven one-week camps held each summer at the Marist Brothers Center in Esopus since 1972. The camp popula:ons include Physically and Mentally disabled children, young adults, and adults; Deaf children; Children with Cancer, as well as impoverished children living in the inner ci:es. A summary of raised issues and concerns is provided below.

✴Inadequate Support: Many young people with disabili:es face barriers in schools, including inadequate support services, poorly trained staff, and inaccessible facili:es.

✴Special Education Gaps: Although laws like the Individuals with Disabilities Educa0on Act (IDEA) mandate access to special educa:on, many students s:ll experience insufficient resources

✴Limited Access to Health Services: Young people with disabili:es may have specialized healthcare needs, but oben face many challenges in accessing needed care, such as physical therapy, mental health services, and medica:ons. Gaps in medical health coverage and high out-of-pocket costs for services, medical equipment, and therapies can limit access to necessary care, leading to poor health outcomes.

✴Discrimination: Nega:ve avtudes toward disabili:es lead to exclusion from social ac:vi:es, leading to isola:on and a lack of meaningful rela:onships. Young people with disabili:es oben face physical or financial barriers to participating in extracurricular ac:vi:es, sports, or other social events, which can affect their overall well-being regarding mental health and social development.

✴Increased Risk of Mental Health Issues: Young people with disabili:es are at higher risk of experiencing mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and stress, partly due to social exclusion, discrimina:on, and difficulty accessing mental health care.

✴ Cancer at a young age can cause a huge emo:onal toll, leading to anxiety, depression, and feelings of isola:on. The experience of dealing with a life- threatening illness can be overwhelming.

✴Young people with cancer oben struggle with feelings of loneliness and a lack of understanding from peers who may not fully grasp the reality of the illness or situa:on. Long periods of hospitaliza:on cause them to miss extended periods of school and long periods of :me without access to friends or normal ac:vi:es.

✴Many Inner-city neighborhoods in the USA are oben marked by a high degree of economic inequality. Many of the children served at our Camp live in such situa:ons and are frequently deprived of many things including access to educa:onal opportuni:es, and suitable child care and supervision. Many are raised in single parent homes or by a grandmother or other rela:ve. Over- crowded apartments are a common reality for many young people in such environments

✴Mental health services are frequently limited in lower-income neighborhoods. Many young people in these areas suffer from a much higher level of stress and anxiety as they deal with many issues of safety including gang violence.

The USA Province is grateful to FMSI for the opportunity to to have ar:cipated in this UPR process for the first :me. More than 250 young people from our USA Marist schools were part of the listening Sessions that were u:lized to create this report. From the perspec:ve of our young people, the key issues and concerns rela:ng to the rights of children within the USA, with a par:cular emphasis on those in the most vulnerable condi:ons, are the following:

1. Numerous Issues of Immigra:on including the deep fears of many young people about they or their family members being arrested or deported.
2. Issues involving their mental health and the many contribu:ng factors that have led to incredibly high levels of anxiety, depression and suicide among young people.
3. Thehighprevalenceofdrugandsubstanceabuseamongyoungpeople.
4. Thehighleveloffearsofschoolviolencewhichsadlyhasbecomealmost normalized in the USA with the constant occurrences of school shoo:ngs, on-going bullying, gang violence and violent crimes in most urban areas.
5. The detrimental implica:ons of Social Media usage by young people and the impact it is having on their lives.

From the perspec:ve of our Marists working directly with migrants and refugees in El Paso, the key issues and concerns rela:ng to human rights of those in the most vulnerable situa:ons are the following:

• Challengesfacedbyasylumseekers 
• Humanrightsviola:ons 
• Impactonchildren

From the perspec:ve of our Marists working with our marginalized popula:ons at our Mid-Hudson Valley Camps in Esopus, the key issues and concerns rela:ng to the rights of those popula:ons they serve are the following:

• Emo:onalandMentalHealthStruggles
• AccesstoProperEduca:on
• SocialIsola:on 
• EconomicInequality 
• HealthcareandMedicalServices