Immigrant Childrens Protection Project

The Immigrant Children’s Protection Project represents and advocates for immigrant children who face the possibility of deportation to a dangerous homeland. Each year, tens of thousands of children arrive in the United States without a parent or guardian. They come to escape war, persecution, forced recruitment as child soldiers, abusive labor conditions, forced child marriages, female genital mutilation, sexual servitude, or slavery.

Unaccompanied minors in immigration proceedings, like all immigrants in this situation, do not have access to court-appointed counsel. Half of the estimated 8,000 children per year entangled in the U.S. immigration system go through their hearings without any legal representation. NIJC works with a strong network of pro bono attorneys to ensure that every child who comes before the Chicago immigration court has access to legal counsel.

NIJC and its local and national partners collaborate to develop strategies that advocate for systemic change, identify gaps in the system, and propose recommendations for reform. NIJC meets frequently with federal government officials to educate them about the necessity of legal counsel for minors, both accompanied and unaccompanied.

Photo credit: Rick Reinhard/Creative Commons

With the help of NIJC, 134 unaccompanied immigrant children were granted immigration relief in 2010.

Impact: A Promising Future after a Treacherous Childhood

When Luis* was young, his mother abandoned him in Honduras, leaving him alone with an alcoholic father who regularly beat him. When Luis was 15 years old, his father received a life sentence in Honduras for attempted murder. With no one to care for him, he made his way to the United States, where he was promptly detained in San Antonio, Texas, and placed in removal proceedings. When the government released Luis to live with family in Illinois, his relatives told him not to contact an immigration lawyer.

Programs

"I feel very fortunately that I found NIJC because it helped me to become a permanent resident in the U.S. ...something that changed my life for good. Now that I'm a permanent resident I'm able to go to school; this has also giving me the opportunity to feel secure about being in the U.S."
– Luis*

"It was a privilege to have the opportunity to work with NIJC to secure Special Immigrant Juvenile Status on behalf of a minor from Honduras who has become a happy, healthy young man now living his life honestly and openly in the United States without fear of persecution and abuse. The NIJC has a team of brilliant lawyers, who advocate tirelessly on behalf of their clients, and work closely with the attorneys at each step.The NIJC provides invaluable insight and knowledge of the complexities of the immigration courts and governmental agencies on every level without which we could not have obtained a favorable result and literally achieve a life-changing result for our client."
– John R. Richards, pro bono attorney who represented Luis*