A coalition of immigration advocacy organizations has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Department of Homeland Security's decision to eliminate fee waivers for immigrant children seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status, arguing the policy unlawfully creates a financial barrier for abused, abandoned, and neglected minors seeking legal protection in the United States.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court, targets a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) rule that reinstated a $250 filing fee for SIJ petitions while eliminating the long-standing fee waiver previously available to low-income applicants.
