Safe Passage Project is concerned about changes in the eligibility standard for children to obtain protection through Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) proposed in Section 3 of the Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2015 (H.R. 1153). These changes would force vulnerable children to be eligible for immigration relief through SIJS only if they cannot be reunified with either of their parents. Safe Passage has found that many of the children we serve have suffered abuse at the hands of one of their parents and have found safety and stability with a loving parent in the United States. Changing the eligibility standard would force children to return to abusive parents or a dangerous life on the streets in their home countries.

To read the full statement from Safe Passage Project, click here.