Legal Aid expands services to aid immigrant minors
A nonprofit organization which provides free civil legal aid to indigent Lee County residents has expanded its services to assist immigrant children and teens who may have entered the country alone.
“The most rewarding part of the job is taking something that everyone needs at one time or another and making it accessible to everyone,” Lee County Legal Aid Society Executive Director Andrew Banyai said.
Their focus for more than half a century has been helping children of Lee County.
One of the things they have identified as a gap in the service is the children who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected who are often here without parents and are doing the very best with what they have, Banyai said.
A provision to the family law code allows them to approach family court on behalf of a child who is abused, abandoned, or neglected to obtain a Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). This is then followed by an I-360 SIJS petition to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“The neat thing about that is it places them on a pathway to be lawful U.S. residents and lawfully earn a living,” Banyai said.
This will benefit youths 18 and younger. So far this year, 10 children have received immigrant juvenile status.
Once the status is awarded the applicants can apply for the adjustment of status to lawful permanent residency, which allows them to apply for a work permit and Social Security card.
“Immigration matters are so specific to the circumstances,” he said of how long it takes to obtain that status. “There are a number of different forms we have to file after the special designation in the court system. Some can have status and ability to lawfully work in the future as soon as a few months.”
For others, depending on the need to investigate circumstances of abandonment, it may take up to a year. Banyai said it all depends on the immigration officials and how much interest they take in a particular set of facts.
In late 2022, the three-year effort was funded by a federal American Rescue Plan Act grant of approximately $490,000, which was administered by the United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades Counties.
“One of the main referral sources is the United Way Field Houses. The United Way maintains houses, spaces, where people can go and get services,” Banyai said. “They are distributed throughout Lee County, so that there is somebody in the community that hopefully has developed a trust within the community.”
Community partners include the Guardian ad Litem 20th Judicial Circuit, Florida Department of Children and Families and Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Venice.
As the program gains momentum, they will find out how many out there are in need of this service.
“As we get more attention, we may find there are more children out there that need our help. We have the capacity to help them,” Banyai said. “I think that having a child here who has been abandoned creates problems for all of us. Everybody in the community is much better off when children, who are here at no fault of their own decision-making, are provided with a pathway to live their lives legally. I think that is better for everybody.”
The Lee County Legal Aid Society was founded in 1967 as a private, nonprofit organization that provides no-cost civil legal aid to low income families in Lee County. For more information, visit leecountylegalaid.org, or call (239) 334-6118.
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com