Immigration

We believe that every vulnerable child deserves a safe and secure home. That includes immigrant children in the child welfare system who often face more complex challenges.

Immigration Services

Child Advocates Immigration Team assists children in the child welfare system with immigration issues. Often when youth are involved in both the child welfare system and the immigration system, the steps to obtaining a safe, stable, and permanent home can be overwhelming and they never attempt to secure their legal status.

Our team of attorneys and advocates assists youth by encouraging them to begin the process of obtaining legal status in the United States. That includes locating copies of important identification and immigration documentation, securing Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Deferred Action, work authorization, and citizenship.

We focus specifically on children who are involved in both systems to help ease the trauma and eliminate immigration-related barriers to finding them a stable living situation.

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An Immigrant Child's Story

She was just a teenager, fleeing from a foreign country, and worried about what would happen next in her life. Her Aunt sent her to America to escape sex traffickers in her neighborhood and to be with her father, who lives here. She had never met him, but after moving in…something horrific happened. He sexually abused her.

She had no other family to depend on. And she had no one to whom she could turn for help. However, after telling an acquaintance about the abuse, she was removed from her father’s home and placed in the foster care system. And then, our attorneys from Immigrant Services stepped in to help this young girl build a better life and a brighter future.

Her father was prosecuted and signed consent for her adoption. And our attorneys filed for and received Special Immigrant Juvenile Status for her. That puts her on a path to get legal status in the U.S. They also helped her get a work permit. Today, she is a high school graduate, completing educational certifications that could help her solidify a job, and she is now eligible to apply for a green card.

There are still obstacles to overcome for her, but she is no longer abused. No longer afraid. And no longer lost and alone in a new land. As child advocates, we believe in the potential of every child. Every child deserves hope. Every child deserves love.