Reuters reported on the increased rejections of applications and delays in the processing of applications filed by immigrant youths under the Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) program. Under SIJ, immigrant youths (defined as those who are below 21 years old) may submit an application for permanent residency if they have been abused, abandoned, or neglected by a parent. As CILPJ affiliate faculty and Child Advocacy Clinic Director, Prof. Randi Mandelbaum explained, the law requires the administration to process these applications within six months.  Yet, she has cases that have lingered for over a year. Here’s the rest of the story.

Recently, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has refused to allow an American,  Hoda Muthana, to come back to the United States.  In so doing, CILPJ Director Prof. Rose Cuison Villazor argues that Secretary of State Pompeo has violated one of the most important rights of citizenship —the right to return to the United States. Here’s her op-ed on this issue.

The New Jersey Bar Association Foundation issued a Special Immigration Edition on various contemporary immigration issues. It includes discussions of President Trump’s rescission of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the NJ State Attorney General Gurbir Grewal’s Immigrant Trust Directive, and the proposal to include  citizenship in the U.S. Census.  The articles include quotes from CILPJ Director Rose Cuison Villazor and affiliate faculty Professor Alan Hyde.