Some Thoughts on Immigration Reform: Expanding the Special Immigrant Juvenile Program
Congress has talked about immigration reform for many years. Congress has regularly considered a version of the DREAM Act, which would regularize the immigration status of undocumented college students. The threatened rescission of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has spurred congressional debate, if not legislation, as the fate of the DACA recipients was at best uncertain.
Nolan Rappaport on The Hill opines that Congress should move beyond DACA and DREAM Acts aside and try a different approach. He suggests creating a place in the Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) program for the DACA participants. This program makes lawful permanent resident (LPR) status available to undocumented children in the United States who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected by one or both parents and who should not be returned to their own countries.
KJ