Connecticut is one of a handful of states providing especially vulnerable young immigrants with extra time to put in their applications for a federal legal status, which could lead them to become permanent US residents.
The new law, which came into effect at the beginning of July, means that immigrants aged between 18 and 20 who have been abandoned, abused, or neglected can now have a state probate court judge to work out their eligibility for applying to a federal status called special immigrant juvenile status. This is different from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which does not offer a path to US citizenship.
Similar laws have been passed in New York, Washington, Maryland, and California while existing statutes in New Jersey have been interpreted in such a manner to include those aged between 18 and 20, and Massachusetts courts extended the jurisdiction of the state. Before the change, the law in Connecticut only applied to immigrants under 18, despite the federal government allowing people up to the age of 21 to apply.
A case in the Connecticut State Supreme Court, in which a Honduras teenager was unable to put in an application for special federal status due to the age restriction in the state, highlighted the gap between age limits in the federal government and Connecticut. The bill passed in the Senate and the House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support.