Manatt’s Sirena Castillo, a partner in the investigations and white collar defense group, spoke to Law360 about a judge’s recent ruling on a lawsuit against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
A class of young immigrants filed suit against the USCIS for a new requirement that makes it difficult for immigrants ages 18 to 21 to qualify for Special Immigrant Juvenile status in California.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathanael M. Cousins denied the federal government’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, saying the requirement is based on “outdated” regulations for the SIJ program.
Castillo, who was on a team of Manatt attorneys that represented the class of young immigrants, praised the ruling as a crucial victory.
“This is a critical case that centers on protecting the rights of immigrant children who have suffered from parental abuse, abandonment or neglect,” she said.
The Manatt legal team also included Adrianne Marshack, a partner in the class actions group, and Matthew Kanny, a partner on the litigation resources team.
Read the article here.