The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Monday that it may defer deporting minors who are subjects of court proceedings involving abuse, abandonment or neglect.
The new policies, which are due to the unavailability of visa numbers according to the Hill, will give minors an easier path toward becoming eligible for green cards. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said in a statement that these measures would not apply toward employment eligibility nor result in obtaining legal status in the U.S.
The new policy is scheduled to go into effect May 6th. A deferred action decision will be valid for four years.
Religious workers, U.S. armed forces members and immigrants who have worked for the U.S. government in various capacities, among others, will receive special immigrant status under the new policy. Minors in abandonment, abuse or neglect cases will be classified as Special Immigrant Juveniles.
The policy states that “Congress likely did not envision that SIJ [Special Immigrant Juvenile] petitioners would have to wait years before a visa became available, since for many years after implementation of the program, SIJs did have visas immediately available,” and that “this process furthers congressional intent to provide humanitarian protection for abused, neglected, or abandoned noncitizen children for whom a juvenile court has determined that it is in their best interest to remain in the United States.”
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