Special Immigrant Juvenile Status is a classification available under the federal immigration system that gives young migrants a path to permanent legal residency in the United States.
The program, which was created in 1990, is available for migrants under 21 who have been abused, neglected or abandoned by a parent. It gives many an opportunity to escape dangerous circumstances in their home countries.
Under the Biden administration, those who received the special status – known as SIJS – were shielded from deportation as they waited for their green card, a process that can take years.
But recent policy changes under the Trump administration have diminished that protection, putting young migrants in Connecticut and elsewhere at risk of being removed from the country.
To understand how teens and children in the state are affected, The Accountability Project spoke with immigration lawyers who handle these types of cases, policy experts and young migrants who are currently filing for the special status.
We wanted to get a better understanding of how the recent changes impact those who are applying for the program. We worked in collaboration with Connecticut Public’s Latino communities reporter, Daniela Doncel.
The reporting team spoke with a 19-year-old named Regina, who is seeking SIJS after experiencing a tumultuous childhood in her home country, Mexico, where she endured physical abuse and neglect from her mother. She said judging from her own experience, and from the difficult circumstances other migrant children have faced, the recent changes in federal policy are disheartening.
“I think about all the horrible things these kids have been through,” Regina said. “All the challenges they had to go through, and trauma, to be here … to be at a safe place and then be slapped in the face for wanting to release their dreams. It's so beyond words.”
In Connecticut, the process to become eligible for SIJS begins outside the federal immigration system. Applicants are vetted first by state judicial authorities, who evaluate claims of abuse and neglect, and weigh who should have guardianship over juvenile migrants.
To learn about Regina’s case, we reviewed reports submitted to the Probate Court by the state Department of Children and Families (DCF), which detailed some of the abuse. A DCF social worker determined Regina’s mother was “not an appropriate support or caretaker” because of the abuse and neglect, the reports show.
Regina recalled moments where her mother’s friends or family members would take care of her and her brother because her mother would leave them at home for extended periods of time.
“I don't remember my earliest memory with her,” Regina said, speaking about her mom. “I just remember getting yelled at and being hit.”
The number of children in Connecticut facing circumstances like hers is growing. In fiscal year 2024, Connecticut probate courts saw the highest number of petitions for the special status – 1,730. Applications for SIJS have similarly increased nationwide.
A recent report put out by federal immigration authorities criticized the program, alleging migrants have exploited it in recent years to gain immigration benefits with fraudulent claims.
But local immigration lawyers said false claims are rare. Attorney Erin O’Neil, who is representing Regina in the immigration process, said SIJS cases are thoroughly vetted by an independent state court.
“It's not something that's forged,” O’Neil said. “It's not something that's made up."
In the meantime, a federal lawsuit is underway that challenges the Trump administration’s policy changes to SIJS.
For Regina, hope is the one thing she’s holding on to as she files for the special status and waits for a green card.
“That's something that I want to pass on,” Regina said. “You can do things because you have gotten this far. You can do things even if you're doing them scared.”
