June 12, 2025
In recognition of the unique vulnerabilities of immigrant children who have survived parental abuse, abandonment, or neglect, Congress created Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) as a pathway to lawful permanent residence and enduring safety. Yet visa backlogs have led to protracted legal limbo and the risk of deportation for these same children. In response, in 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began considering SIJS recipients for deferred action, which provides them protection from deportation and access to work authorization while they wait for a visa to become available.
Now, by ending the consideration of deferred action for Special Immigrant Juveniles, the Trump Administration is not only placing these children at greater risk of deportation to the very harms they fled in their countries of origin, but also rendering them more vulnerable to exploitation and other dangers in the United States, while undermining the congressional intent behind SIJS.
