Educators may be in a good position to refer unaccompanied, undocumented students to lawyers or organizations that can help them gain legal U.S. status, a report released by Kids in Need of Defense and the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth says.
It recommends that if educators become aware that students are undocumented, they should talk with the students about how to pursue legal status. That’s because it can be easier for youths to get legal status before they are 18, according to the report.
The report refers specifically to undocumented youths who are not accompanied by their parents in this country.
Such youths may be eligible for legal status if courts find they cannot reunify with their parents because of abuse, abandonment, or neglect; if they have suffered persecution in their home countries; or if they have been victims of human trafficking.
