U.S. Citizenship and immigration (USCIS) is being sued for ending child immigrant protections. The specific policy it terminated, Special Immigrant Juvenile status (SIJ), gave removal protections to children that fled mistreatment from their parents. The suit’s plaintiffs argue USCIS terminated the protections too quickly and without any warning.
The suit came from a complaint filed by multiple juveniles from Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, and multiple refugee agencies. The group is a small fraction of the one-hundred and fifty thousand SIJ beneficiaries in the U.S. At least twenty-five thousand individuals were waiting for their cases to be processed as of March 31, 2025.
USCIS adopted a deferred designation for SIJ beneficiaries in 2022 to address the backlog. Nearly all SIJ beneficiaries have been processed under the deferred guidelines, per the complaint. The plaintiffs argue SIJ and other child immigrant protections beneficiaries didn’t receive a warning and therefore not enough time to adjust their legal status. This is one of the first suits against a government agency filed on behalf of minors since the current administration started adopting stricter stances on immigration enforcement.
As always, ILBSG actively monitors ongoing U.S. immigration news. If you have questions about any U.S. immigration related issue, contact us. Working with an experienced attorney ensures you get the right advice based on the most recent laws. In an ever-evolving immigration policy landscape, it’s particularly critical.