Jones Day secures dependency order for unaccompanied minor

Client(s) D.R.M.D.

Jones Day represented the uncle of a child, age 17, who had emigrated from Guatemala to the United States fleeing gang violence, sexual assault, hardship and, poverty. The child was detained at the border as an unaccompanied minor and the Office of Refugee Resettlement designated our client to be his niece's sponsor during the pendency of her immigration proceedings. Jones Day represented our client in securing full legal custody of his niece and a ruling that the child is dependent under Georgia law. Further, the court issued the requested findings that (1) it was not viable for the child to be reunited with one or both of her parents and (2) it was not in the child's best interests to return to Guatemala. These findings are necessary in order for the child to pursue Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and the permanent residency status that it accords, from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service. Utilizing the predicate order secured by Jones Day, the children are actively pursuing Special Immigrant Juvenile Status under the representation of Catholic Charities.