As many of you already know, an unprecedented number of unaccompanied children have been coming to the United States in recent months, leading to what President Obama has called a "humanitarian crisis." Compared to 13,000 youth detained in 2012, 60,000 children are estimated to be detained during 2014, with many news stories suggesting that actual numbers will be far higher. These children include youth fleeing gang violence, rape, child abuse, and neglect, many of whom will qualify for legal status in the United States. Some of these children are being released to the Bay Area and are in need of legal assistance as they navigate the Immigration Court system, seek stable living situations, and make applications for legal status.

To help meet the needs of these youth, Legal Services for Children (LSC), Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (CLSEPA), and the Immigration Center for Women and Children (ICWC) are pleased to present this lunch-time pro bono training on Wednesday, July 30, 2014, hosted by Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco (For information on the earlier event on Wednesday, July 23, 2014, hosted by Cooley LLP in Palo Alto, click here.)

These trainings will focus on representing Unaccompanied Children in Immigration Court proceedings and applications for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). We will provide potential pro bono volunteers with a detailed, nuts-and-bolts training on representing children in Immigration Court, guardianship proceedings, SIJS applications before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and applications for permanent residence before USCIS and the Immigration Courts. (The training content will be the same during each session; participants are encouraged to attend one or the other, not both.) 1.5 hours of MCLE credit will be provided. Presenters will include:

• Helen Beasley, Staff Attorney, CLSEPA;
• Susan Bowyer, Deputy Director, ICWC;
• Hayley Upshaw, Senior Staff Attorney, LSC.

RSVP for this training by July 22 to probono@lsc-sf.org.