Border crisis 101: eight things to know about unaccompanied children

Here’s a look at today’s immigration crisis and how it compares to the recent past.

6. What kind of legal status can these children receive in the US?

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
Protesters march in front of the White House in Washington Monday, responding to President Obama's plans to resolve the crisis of unaccompanied children and families illegally entering the US.

Of 42 percent found eligible for relief in 2011, more than half were categorized under Special Immigrant Juveniles Status, which is aimed at foreign children in the US who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected. Children who get a green card through this program can live and work permanently in the United States, but they can never petition for a green card for their parents. They also cannot petition for a green card for any siblings until they become a US citizen.   

Children can also stay in the US if they can show that they may be persecuted or tortured if they return home. One such form of relief is asylum, as defined under international refugee conventions. Another protection is called “withholding,” which is for people not eligible for asylum but who still may be subject to harm in their home country.

Other protections exist for children who are victims of human trafficking or criminal activity.

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