Washington, D.C. –
Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) decries U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ announcement that it will no longer consider those granted Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) for deferred action, ending a policy that protected abused, abandoned, and neglected children for whom state courts have already deemed it is not in their best interests to be returned to their home countries. This protection is essential because of protracted delays in the visa issuance process, delays that put paperwork ahead of protection. Deferred action also safeguarded these young people from exploitation and other harm by providing identity documentation and work authorization. Special Immigrant Juveniles who were previously granted deferred action will be unable to renew when it expires four years after the grant, thus causing irreparable harm to the long-term well-being of the child. KIND Chief of Global Policy Jennifer Podkul issued the following statement.
“The termination of the SIJS deferred action policy will place many thousands of abused, neglected, and abandoned young people in the United States at increased risk of trafficking and exploitation. Children whom the U.S. government has recognized as survivors of parental abuse, abandonment, and neglect could be deported despite the determination by a state court with child protection expertise that it is not in the child’s best interests to return to their home country. This is yet another example of the administration undermining the role of our nation’s judicial system. More than 3,000 children KIND has served received deferred action, including more than 2,000 whose cases are still open. Without question, the administration’s action makes children less safe and far more vulnerable to harm.”
###
Media Contact: Megan McKenna, mmckenna@supportkind.org, 202-631-9990