Recent Updates on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) is an important protection in federal immigration law for certain vulnerable immigrant children who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned by a parent. While SIJS has existed for decades, agency practices and policies in the adjudication of these cases have evolved, particularly over the last few years. This CLE will provide an overview of SIJS requirements, discuss current trends in the adjudication of SIJS cases, and provide practice tips for successfully preparing an SIJS case. There will be an opportunity for discussion among participants and panelists of recent experiences in seeking this protection for vulnerable child clients.

Monday, June 11, 2018
9:00am to 11:30am
Faegre Baker Daniels
Remote attendance available

Panelists:

Rebecca Scholtz
Scholtz is a Training and Legal Support Staff Attorney with the Defending Vulnerable Populations Project at the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC). Prior to joining CLINIC, Scholtz worked with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid’s Immigration Law Project, first as a Liman Fellow and then as a staff attorney. Her work at MMLA focused on representation of unaccompanied children, and she also provided training, technical assistance, pro bono program development, and advocacy on children’s immigration issues.
Scholtz received her J.D. from Yale Law School and was a judicial clerk for the Honorable Diana Murphy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. She is a Faculty Fellow at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. Prior to law school, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica.

Kara Rieke

Kara Rieke joined Volunteer Lawyers Network (VLN) as the Family Law Resource Attorney in 2016. After graduating from William Mitchell in 2004, Kara worked at Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) for nine years, practicing in housing discrimination for one year and as a family law staff attorney for the remaining years. She also worked for over three years as a family court Guardian ad Litem.
Moderator: Alison Griffith

Alison is a Staff Attorney for The Advocates for Human Rights’ Refugee & Immigrant Program. In that capacity, she mentors and supports pro bono attorneys handling asylum cases before the asylum office and the Immigration Court, as well as other humanitarian immigration matters. Alison also handles a caseload of asylum cases and other matters for The Advocates. Before joining The Advocates, she represented unaccompanied minors at Kids In Need of Defense (KIND), where she represented unaccompanied children seeking asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, U Visas, and other forms of humanitarian relief from deportation.

Presentation Details:
Title: American Immigration Lawyers Association SIJS CLE
Date: Monday, June 11, 2018
Time: 9:00 AM CDT
Duration: 2:30:00