Issues

Immigration

About This Issue

An arrest or juvenile court involvement may trigger immigration consequences for youth, including detention and deportation. It is critical to consider immigration consequences on every case and consult with an immigration attorney if you think your client could be at risk for immigration consequences and/or eligible for immigration relief.

On this page, we're compiling information and resources to assist youth defenders and advocates navigate these complicated and shifting challenges. You must be logged in as a registered youth defender to access some of the resources on this page. Please log in or register for an account.

If you have motions, briefs, or other resources that could be helpful to other youth defenders and advocates, please send them to us at inquiries@defendyouthrights.org.

Gault Center Resources

Immigration Tip Sheet Series

Guidance for Youth Defenders

A Call for Trained, Trauma-Informed Attorneys to Represent and Support Unaccompanied Children in Removal Proceedings by Petitioning for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status

A Common-Law Privilege To Protect State and Local Courts During the Crimmigration Crisis

Adjudicating Discretion in Youth Cases: Research, Law, and Policy for Consideration in Immigration Proceedings

After Week 1: Updates and FAQs (Massachusetts CPCS Immigration Impact Unit)

B.R. v. Garland (9th Circuit)

Beehive Buzz: Emerging Strategies from Summit 2025

Children’s Immigration Law Academy Pro Bono Guide

Constitutional Challenges to Courthouse Civil Arrests of Noncitizens

Cultural Competency and Humility when Representing UCs

Demystifying Removal Proceedings (Massachusetts CPCS Immigration Impact Unit)

Deportation Defense Manual

Expedited Removal Toolkit: A Guide for Advocates Assisting People Facing Expanded Expedited Removal

Family Attorneys, How to Advise Immigrant Clients on ICE in the Courts

Gender Affirming Language in Immigration Court

Guidance for SIJS State Court Predicate Orders in California- What You Need to Know in 2024

Guidance on Adjustment of Status for Youth with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Using INA § 245(h) with a Non-SIJS Petition

ICE Detainers in State Court (Massachusetts CPCS Immigration Impact Unit)

Immigrants and Marijuana

Immigration & Orders of Protection

Immigration Enforcement Update: Immigration Related Executive Orders (Massachusetts CPCS Immigration Impact Unit)

Immigration Legal Resource Center’s Special Immigrant Juvenile Status: A Primer for One-Parent Cases

Immigration Relief Toolkit and Chart for Criminal Defenders

Juvenile Probation Officer Immigration Tip Sheet: Checklist

Juvenile Probation Officer Immigration Tip Sheet: General Guidance

KIND Immigration Consequences of Delinquency and Crimes

Overview of Seeking SIJS Findings in Juvenile Court

Practice Advisory: The Laken Riley Act’s Mandatory Detention Provisions

Practice Alert: Protecting Noncitizens from Expedited Removal and Immigration Court Arrests

Practicing Trauma-Informed Care in Client Meetings

Quick Reference Chart on the Immigration Consequences of Delinquency

Representing Noncitizen Clients in Juvenile Court Proceedings

Screening for Immigration Relief: Sample Client Intake Form

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status & The Grounds of Inadmissibility

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status & Visa Availability

The 21st Birthday Eligibility Cutoff for SIJS: USCIS Policy and the Risks of Applying On or After the 21st Birthday

The Laken Riley Act & Juvenile Delinquency

The Law and Lawlessness of U.S. Immigration Detention

The Road to Slow Deportation

Tips for Working with Migrant Children and Trauma-Informed Lawyering

Washington State Court Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) Classification Bench Book and Resource Guide

What are the Immigration Consequences of Delinquency?

What Is Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)?

Know Your Rights and Community Resources

#CommunitiesNotCages: Toolkit to Fight Detention and Deportations

Build Community Power Through Art: Event Host Toolkit

Checklist: Sharing Videos of Immigration Enforcement

Community Explainer: Laken Riley Act (National Immigration Project)

Confronting Discrimination Based on National Origin and Immigration Status

Deportation Preparation Manual for Immigrant Families: Make a Plan to Protect Your Kids and Finances in the Face of Deportation

Expedited Removal Toolkit: A Guide for Advocates Assisting People Facing Expanded Expedited Removal

Family Preparedness Plan (KIND)

FAQ: The New Registration Requirement

Filming Immigration Enforcement in the U.S.

Fourth Amendment Toolkit for Organizations

How Can Age Affect my Immigration Relief Options?

Immigration “Wellness Checks” for Children

Immigration Arrests & Raids: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Rights

Know Your Rights Cards (CLINIC)

Know Your Rights Cards: How to Use (CLINIC)

Know Your Rights flyers (CLINIC)

Know Your Rights flyers (KIND)

Know Your Rights When Confronted by ICE (Immigrant Legal Resource Center)

Know Your Rights When Interacting with Immigration Officers (ICE) (Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights)

Know Your Rights: If ICE Comes to Your Home (American Immigration Lawyers Association)

Know Your Rights: If ICE Comes to Your Work Place (American Immigration Lawyers Association)

Know Your Rights: If ICE Stops You in Public (American Immigration Lawyers Association)

Know Your Rights: What to Do if You Are Questioned, Arrested or Detained by Immigration and Other Law Enforcement (National Immigration Law Center)

Legal Service Provider List for Unaccompanied Children (Office of Refugee Resettlement)

Legal Service Provider List for Unaccompanied Children (Texas)

Lessons from East Tennessee: A Toolkit for Organizations Responding to Mass Worksite Immigration Raids

My Community Member Was Arrested by ICE – What Do I Do?

Practice Advisory: Considerations in Asylum Claims for Transgender People

Preparedness Packet (United We Dream)

Preparing for ICE Encounters Know your Rights, Responses & Recourses

Protecting Access to Education for Migratory Children

Protecting Children in Schools Against Immigration Enforcement

Protections Against Immigration Enforcement from Court Orders: Know Your Rights and Fight Back!

Real or Rumor: How to Verify Online Reports of ICE Raids

Red Cards (Immigrant Legal Resource Center)

Red Cards: How to Use (Immigrant Legal Resource Center)

Resilience and Community Care Toolkit

Step by Step Family Preparedness Plan

Stop and Identify Statutes in the United States

Termination of Parole Notices: What do I do?

The Rights of Immigrants in Family Court (New York State Family Court)

The Rights of Lawful Permanent Residents

U.S. Citizen Kids and ICE Check-Ins: How to Prepare

U.S. Citizen Kids and ICE Check-Ins: How to Prepare

Using Your #RightToRecord Immigration Enforcement

Week 1 Under Donald Trump 2.0 (National Immigration Project)

What is Section 1324? Understanding the Smuggling/Harboring Federal Crime

Your Rights in an Immigration Interview While in Massachusetts Jails or Prisons (Massachusetts CPCS Immigration Impact Unit)

Youth Rights Walletcard (KIND)

Guidance for Other Professionals

10 Strategies for how Schools Should Respond to Help Children Impacted by ICE Raids

ABA CILA Fact Sheet: Unaccompanied Children at the Border

Child Migrants in Family Immigration Detention in the US: An Examination of Current Pediatric Care Standards and Practices

Childhood Trauma and the Enduring Consequences of Forcibly Separating Children from Parents at the United States Border

Deportation Threatens the Psychological, Physical, and Socioeconomic Well-being of Children and Families

End School Pushout for Black Girls and Other Girls of Color

Equity for Whom? How Private Equity and the Punishment Bureaucracy Exploit Disabled People

Freezing Out Justice: How Immigration Arrests at Courthouses are Undermining the Justice System

Ganging Up on Communities? Putting Gang Crime in Context

Guidance to Nonprofits Regarding Immigration Enforcement

Guilt By Association: How Police Databases Punish Black and Latinx Youth

Hand in Hand: Schools’ Embrace of AI Connected to Increased Risks to Students

ICE’s Use of Subpoenas to Circumvent State and Local Laws

Immigration Benchbook For Juvenile and Family Court Judges

Newcomer Immigrant Youth in Juvenile Justice Court Proceedings: A Trauma-Informed Approach

No Sanctuary for Judges: When Legal Ethics Conflict with Federal Law

Practice Advisory: Considerations in Asylum Claims for Transgender People

Protecting Immigrant Students Action Kit

Setting the Record Straight About Sanctuary Policies: A Response to Threats Against Sanctuary Cities (National Immigration Project)

Six Amendments to The Immigration and Nationality Act Made by the Laken Riley Act

Stronger Together

The Grapevine – A Southern Trans Report

The Immigration Subpoena Power

The Inappropriate Use of Juvenile Records in Immigration Discretion

The Juvenile Justice System and Immigrant Youth

What to Do if Immigration/ICE Arrives at Law Clinics