Our Impact
Read our 2024 Annual Report!
Studies show that without a lawyer, unaccompanied children stand just a 15 percent chance of winning their deportation cases.
Meanwhile, children represented by ICARE attorneys have more than a 90 percent success rate and ICARE attorneys have prevented the deportation of over 1,500 young New Yorkers thus far.
ICARE lawyers have represented over 3,000 children since 2014
ICARE has obtained relief for 1,500 children since 2014
ICARE screened over 14,000 children for relief since 2014
In FY2023 alone, 8,400 unaccompanied immigrant children were placed in with sponsors in New York City. Between 2021 and 2026, ICARE estimates there will be over 10,600 newly arrived unaccompanied children in need of legal representation.
ICARE has successfully provided rapid responses in several crises affecting immigrant New Yorkers:
2017
The government used a bad-faith reading of the law to deny thousands of applications by New Yorkers for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), an immigration benefit for children abused, abandoned or neglected by their own parents. In response, ICARE filed a class action suit in federal court, winning an injunction and restoring SIJS protection for over 6,600 class members in New York State. Its successful legal arguments were later borrowed in other states challenging the government’s policy and in 2020, the government voluntarily overturned its denial policy.
2014
The government placed 6,000 unaccompanied children in fast-track deportation proceedings in New York City, without providing them lawyers. In an emergency response, ICARE provided daily free legal screenings to any unrepresented child at the New York Immigration Court and secured $1M in public-private funding to fund new non-profit lawyers that could represent as many children as capacity allowed.
2018
The government separated asylum seeking families at the U.S. southern border, rendering thousands of children unaccompanied and sending over 450 of them to detention facilities in New York. In response, ICARE represented each separated child to protect against deportation without a parent and partnered with the ACLU in its class action lawsuit in federal court to support efforts to track down and reunify every separated child with a family member.
2024
ICARE launched a Legal Service Referral Program to connect immigrant youth with the legal support they need. This program ensures that unaccompanied minors facing deportation are matched with trusted legal service providers who specialize in immigration and family law. By streamlining the referral process, ICARE helps young immigrants access timely, high-quality legal assistance, increasing their chances of securing protections and navigating the legal system with support at every step.
In partnership with Queens Family Court, ICARE launched a pilot program to expand access to Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) for unaccompanied minors. This pilot offers young immigrants— who likely would’ve otherwise gone without legal assistance—the chance to have legal support throughout their process. ICARE attorneys provide limited scope services, while each young person is also assigned family counsel. This collaboration ensures continuous legal support in both family and immigration court, expediting SIJS filings and securing protections for immigrant youth.