And when the result of the immigration court fight is potential deportation to the place where he feared he would be killed, the stakes were high for S.R.I.C. and other minors, but a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling this week bounced the case, despite clear sympathy from the court. The issue was procedural – the plaintiffs, the courts ruled, had to go through the immigration court system first, though the plaintiffs had argued that system wasn’t designed to entertain their claims to a right to a government-appointed lawyer. “I cannot let the occasion pass without highlighting the plight of unrepresented children who find themselves in immigration proceedings,” McKeown wrote. His case stands as evidence of why providing lawyers to minors, especially, facing deportation is crucial.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 23, 2016 17:57 UTC