IN THE NEWS
For media inquiries and press-related questions please contact media@nipnlg.org.
TIME
July 18, 2025
“Young Immigrants Who Have Faced Abuse and Neglect Sue Trump Administration for Exposing Them to Deportation”
TIME magazine reported on the SIJS Deferred Action Lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s termination of the SIJS Deferred Action policy and outlined the need for the policy due to the SIJS visa backlog. The article describes the plaintiffs' request that the court reinstate the 2022 SIJS Deferred Action Policy. Rachel Davidson, Director of the End SIJS Backlog Coalition and co-counsel to the Plaintiffs, is quoted in the article, and the Coalition’s most recent report is mentioned.
Law & Crime
July 18, 2025
“Broken promises with devastating consequences': Abused immigrant youth sue Trump admin for abrupt cancellation of program that kept deportation off the table”
Law and Crime reported on the SIJS Deferred Action Lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s termination of the SIJS Deferred Action policy that was created in 2022. The article gives background on SIJS and on the Biden administration’s initial creation of the policy. The article describes the plaintiffs' request that the court issue a Preliminary Injunction and reverse the Trump administration's decision to terminate the SIJS Deferred Action Policy. Rachel Davidson, Director of the End SIJS Backlog Coalition and co-counsel to the Plaintiffs, is quoted in the article, along with one of the individual impacted youth plaintiffs.
Legal Reader
July 18, 2025
“Young Immigrants Sue Trump Admin. Over Changes to SIJS Program”
Legal Reader reported on the lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s termination of the SIJS Deferred Action policy that was created in 2022. The article gives background on SIJS and describes the plaintiffs' request that the court reinstate the 2022 SIJS Deferred Action Policy. Rachel Davidson, Director of the End SIJS Backlog Coalition and co-counsel to the Plaintiffs, is quoted in the article.
Associated Press (picked up by ABC News, Newsday, Huron Daily Tribune, The Laredo Morning Times, Plainview Herald, San Antonio Express-News, Winnipeg Free Press, The Washington Times, Alarabiya English, Yahoo! News, WFMJ, MSN, U.S. News & World Report, Orlando Sentinel, My Northwest, Athens Daily Review, ABC4 Utah, KLFY, Estes Park Trail Gazette, The Independent, SRN News, Oklahoma News 4, South Florida Sun Sentinel, Midland Reporter-Telegram, WDIO, Las Vegas Sun, El Mundo America, KTAR News, The Canadian Press, Toronto Star, CityNews Everywhere, etc.)
July 17, 2025
“Attorneys sue to restore deportation protections for abused and neglected migrant children.”
The Associated Press reported on the lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s termination of the SIJS Deferred Action policy that was created in 2022. The article also gives historical background on SIJS and describes how a young person qualifies and gets approved for SIJS. Additionally, the article highlights the plaintiffs' request to the court to reinstate the 2022 SIJS Deferred Action Policy, and Rachel Davidson, Director of the End SIJS Backlog Coalition and co-counsel to the Plaintiffs, is quoted in the news report, along with an impacted youth.
NBC News
July 17, 2025
“Abused and abandoned immigrant youth sue Trump administration over deportation fears”
NBC News reported on the lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s termination of the SIJS Deferred Action policy that was created in 2022. The article gives background on SIJS and highlights the plaintiffs' request to the court to reinstate the policy. Rachel Davidson, Director of the End SIJS Backlog Coalition and co-counsel to the Plaintiffs, is quoted in the news report, and the Coalition’s most recent report is mentioned. The stories of a number of impacted SIJS youth are highlighted.
Law360
July 17, 2025
“Suit Fights USCIS End of Immigrant Youth Protections”
Law360 reported on the SIJS Deferred Action Lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s termination of the SIJS Deferred Action policy that was created in 2022. The article also goes into the history of SIJS and describes how a young person qualifies and gets approved for SIJS. Additionally, the article highlights the plaintiffs' request to the court to reinstate the policy, and Rachel Davidson, Director of the End SIJS Backlog Coalition and Co-Counsel to the Plaintiffs, is also quoted in the article.
The Imprint
July 17, 2025
“Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration’s About-Face on Protecting Abused and Neglected Immigrant Youth from Deportation”
The Imprint reported on the lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s termination of the SIJS Deferred Action policy that was created in 2022. The article also goes into the history of SIJS and describes how a young person qualifies and gets approved for SIJS. Additionally, the article highlights the plaintiffs' request to the court to reinstate the policy, and Rachel Davidson, Director of the End SIJS Backlog Coalition and Co-Counsel to the Plaintiffs, is also quoted in the news report, along with one of the individual impacted SIJS youth plaintiffs. The quote reads: “To see them targeted in this way, it’s just really demoralizing and unjust,” legal counsel for the plaintiffs, Rachel Davidson, said in an interview with The Imprint. “At the end of the day these are children and young people who came here seeking protection, and the government promised it to them, and now they’re going back on their promise, and they’re seeking to deport them for no reason. It shocks the conscience, and it should wake everybody up to what’s actually happening in this country.”
Courthouse News Service
July 17, 2025
“Abandoned immigrant kids seek to restore deportation safeguards scrapped by Trump”
The Courthouse News Service reported on the lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s termination of the SIJS Deferred Action policy that was created in 2022. The article also gives background on SIJS and highlights the plaintiffs' request to the court to reinstate the policy. Rachel Davidson, Director of the End SIJS Backlog Coalition, is also quoted in the news report, along with some of the plaintiffs.
Reason
December 14, 2023
”Over 100,000 Abused Immigrant Kids Are Stuck in Green Card Limbo”
Reason reported on the End SIJS Backlog Coalition and Tulane Law School’s Immigrant Rights Clinic’s newest report, “False Hopes: Over 100,000 Immigrant Youth Trapped in the SIJS Backlog.” The report, based on information obtained through FOIA litigation, details how federal actions have drastically increased the SIJS backlog over the past two years and highlights the first-hand stories of SIJS youth of how the growing backlog continues to impact them.
Telemundo
December 4, 2023
”Los menores inmigrantes víctimas de abuso tienen derecho a la ‘green card’ pero miles esperan en una larga cola”
This Telemundo article highlights the findings found in the End SIJS Backlog Coalition and Tulane Law School’s Immigrant Rights Clinic’s newest report, “False Hopes: Over 100,000 Immigrant Youth Trapped in the SIJS Backlog.” The report’s findings include: USCIS not following the 180 adjudication period and the fact that the backlog has doubled in size since 2021. Professor Laila Hlass and End SIJS Backlog Director, Rachel Davidson, are quoted in the article and discuss solutions to address the backlog.
Slate
December 4, 2023
“100,000 Immigrant Kids Are in Limbo Because of a Technicality”
Professor Laila Hlass and Rachel Davidson, Director of the End SIJS Backlog Coalition, published an op-ed to discuss the findings in the Coalition’s latest report, “False Hopes: Over 100,000 Immigrant Youth Trapped in the SIJS Backlog.” In the report, the authors reveal that the SIJS backlog has more than doubled in the past two years, with more than 107,000 SIJS youth now trapped. SIJS youth affected by the backlog come from 151 countries and live in all 50 states, with the highest populations in New York, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Texas, New Jersey, Virginia, Tennessee, Louisiana, and North Carolina.
NBC News
December 4, 2023
”Backlog for abused young immigrants waiting for green cards has doubled, advocates say”
NBC News reported on the End SIJS Backlog Coalition and Tulane Law School’s Immigrant Rights Clinic’s newest report, “False Hopes: Over 100,000 Immigrant Youth Trapped in the SIJS Backlog.” The report, based on information obtained through FOIA litigation, details how federal actions have drastically increased the SIJS backlog over the past two years and highlights the first-hand stories of SIJS youth of how the growing backlog continues to impact them.
Crux
July 20, 2023
“US bishops back bill to help immigrant children, and also religious workers”
Crux reported on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) support for the “Protect Vulnerable Immigrant Youth Act” as a way to protect immigrant children as well as solve the broader EB4 backlog impacting religious workers. The USCCB Migration Chair is quoted stating that the act would “uphold the right to religious exercise, a foundational American principle, and empower vulnerable young people to flourish in their new country, contribute to our nation, and reach their full God-given potential.” The article also highlights the coalition’s 2021 report and quotes our coalition director, Rachel Davidson, about the Protect Vulnerable Immigrant Act.
TIME
December 16, 2021
“A Years Long Immigration Backlog Puts Thousands of Abused Kids in Limbo”
TIME magazine reported on the SIJS Backlog, highlighting the stories of Maria Huerta Rodriguez, our coalition’s youth leader, and two other youth impacted by the SIJS backlog. The article also reports on the data obtained by Professor Laila Hlass, The Door and the Coalition, quantifying the harm of the SIJS Backlog. In a quote from USCIS, the article reports that “USCIS is looking at several policy and procedural options to better protect those who have SIJ classification, but are not yet eligible for Lawful Permanent Residency due to statutory annual limits on visa availability.” This is the first time that a major news source has reported on the SIJS Backlog.
Ms. Magazine
December 14, 2021
“Any Day They Could Deport Me: Immigrant Children in Legal Purgatory”
Professor Laila Hlass and Rachel Davidson, co-author’s of the coalition’s comprehensive report on the SIJS Backlog, published an op-ed in Ms. Magazine calling on Congress and the Biden Administration to end the SIJS backlog. They preview our report, releasing the data from our FOIA lawsuit against USCIS revealing the scope of the backlog for the first time, and highlighting the stories of impacted youth.
Slate
June 30, 2021
“Biden Could Protect Tens of Thousands of Abused Immigrant Children from Deportation With One Small Fix"
Lauren Aronson, Theo Liebmann, and Andrea Ramos, law school professors and members of the Coalition’s Steering Committee and Academic Advocacy Working Group, published an op-ed in Slate detailing the amendments to the INA that could exempt SIJS beneficiaries from visa limitations and thus resolve the SIJS green card backlog. They outline the legislative reason why the backlog exists -- the categorization of SIJS visas as "employment-based." By highlighting two SIJS applicants -- one who is from a backlogged country and one who is not -- the article underscores how the backlog results in disparate outcomes for young people from different countries.
NACLA
June 29, 2021
“An Immigration Courts Backlog Keeps Central American Youth in Legal Limbo”
Rebecca Scholtz, Staff Attorney at CLINIC and Rachel Davidson, Managing Attorney at The Door and (both coalition steering committee members), were interviewed about the long periods of legal limbo for young people stuck in the SIJS Backlog, the psychological impacts that these wait times have, and the Coalition’s legislative solutions. The article also describes the preliminary eligibility requirements of a state family court order and explains why the wait times are drastically different depending on a young person’s home country.
Illinois News Bureau
June 11, 2021
“Are we experiencing another unaccompanied child 'crisis' at the Southern US border”
Lauren Aronson, Director of the Immigration Law Clinic at The University of Illinois and then a coalition Steering Committee Member, explains the humanitarian needs driving the arrival of immigrant children at the border. She also clarifies the protective purpose of SIJS as a child welfare mechanism, and calls on Congress to amend the law to end the SIJS Backlog, urging the Biden Administration to take administrative action to protect SIJS backlog impacted youth by granting them access to work permits and protection from removal.
Ms. Magazine
May 26, 2021
“DHS Must Protect Immigrant Children Seeking Protection-Not Deport Them”
Rekha Sharma-Crawford, Kansas City immigration attorney and coalition member, argues that the Department of Homeland Security is undermining the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Program and harming children they should be protecting by pushing for the removal of SIJS applicants in the backlog. Instead DHS should be terminating removal proceedings for SIJS applicants stuck in the backlog, not deporting them.
Crux
May 22, 2021
“Catholics clamor for fix to green card backlog, end to legal limbo”
Crux reported on the leadership of the coalition’s Catholic partners in our work to end the SIJS backlog, highlighting the coalition’s administrative advocacy sign-on letter which calls on immigration agencies to take action to mitigate the harms of the SIJS green card backlog while we work for a legislative solution. The article explains the cause of the backlog, employment-based visa caps, and the harms to vulnerable children the years of legal limbo cause.
Documented
May 21, 2021
“New York Immigration Experts Call to Protect Young Immigrants Facing Deportation”
Documented reported on the coalition’s advocacy and leadership in the work to end the SIJS green card backlog, uplifting our letter, signed by over 400 individuals and organizations, calling on immigration officials to take immediate action to mitigate the harms of the SIJS green card backlog on children at risk of deportation.
The American Bar Association
February 24, 2021
“A Long Wait for Special Immigrant Juveniles Means A Risk of Deportation”
Dalia Castillo-Granados, Director of the Children’s Immigration Law Academy and now a coalition steering committee member, explains the legal limbo and risk of deportation that SIJS backlog impacted youth face. She also details the ABA policy resolution on the backlog, urging Congress to exempt Special Immigrant Juveniles from visa limitations, and encouraging administrative action to protect SIJS backlog impacted youth from the harms of the backlog.
The Marshall Project
January 28, 2021
“These Young People Were Told They Could Stay in the U.S. They Might Get Deported Anyway.”
The Marshall Project chronicled the devastating impacts of the SIJS backlog on immigrant youth, an injustice that leaves 26,000 immigrant children effectively undocumented for years, despite being deemed eligible to apply for green cards by the government.