Practice Advisory: Freeing SIJS Youth from ICE Detention

This practice advisory, updated on October 19, 2026, is intended for legal practitioners representing young people with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) who are 18 years of age or older and being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention. It discusses the current administration’s mandatory detention policies, general strategy considerations for litigating habeas petitions for SIJS youth, and potential habeas arguments for securing SIJS clients’ release from immigration detention. It also provides links to additional resources on litigating habeas petitions and defending SIJS youth in removal proceedings.