National Judicial Network Peer-to-Peer Session – When Immigration Meets Child Welfare: Judicial Considerations in CHIPS Cases (April 7, 2026)

Description

In this peer-to-peer session, faculty help judges identify when a child qualifies for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) and understand the importance of correctly identifying which benefits and services immigrant survivors, children, and parents are eligible to receive. The objective behind this session is to equip judicial officers with accurate immigration law information that allows them to make decisions that lead to just and fair outcomes for children and families, while of course centering the best interest of children. 

Faculty

  • Hon. Ramona Gonzalez (Ret.), La Crosse County Circuit Court, WI
  • Leslye E. Orloff, Director, National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project (NIWAP), American University Washington College of Law, DC