By Caitlin Babcock | Executive Management Assistant
Maria* is a 10 year old girl from El Salvador who traveled to the U.S. unaccompanied to be reunited with her parents. Maria’s parents had come to the US several years ago, and she was put in the care of her grandmother until her parents could bring her here. However, her grandmother passed away earlier this year, leaving Maria on her own. She began to receive more frequent threats from gang members, who had already killed her cousins and uncle. Afraid to go to the police because of corruption, she decided to travel to the US on her own to join her parents.
NSC’s attorneys accompanied Maria to court and are currently preparing an asylum case, given the threats she had received and the danger she would be in if she returned to El Salvador. They return to court next year to present Maria’s case for asylum.
Through your support of the Bienvenidos Project, NSC has been able to help Maria and 47 other children who have had similar experiences thus far. NSC has provided individual screenings with all unaccompanied children to identify their legal needs and provide additional education about their rights and immigration law. Our attorneys are also providing full legal representation to the children in removal proceedings. We have coordinated services with child welfare and family law practitioners in order to seek lawful status for many of our clients, and nearly half of the children have opportunities to apply for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) based on having been abandoned, abused, or neglected by one or both parents. Where appropriate, NSC also refers children to psychologists for forensic evaluations to corroborate their claims.
Stay tuned for our next project update and to learn more about how your donation continues to impact unaccompanied children!
* Client’s name changed for protection.
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