For State Court Judges

Who is CILA? The American Bar Association’s (ABA) Children’s Immigration Law Academy (CILA) is an expert legal resource center based in Houston, Texas. The ABA established CILA as a project of the ABA’s Commission on Immigration in 2015. CILA does not provide direct representation; instead, the CILA team supports those working with immigrant youth with four key services: (1) hosting trainings; (2) providing individualized technical assistance; (3) encouraging collaboration via working groups; and (4) written resource creation. CILA can be a resource to both advocates and judges involved in immigrant children’s cases.

Why CILA? Immigrant children’s cases can be unique and complicated. CILA is a project of the ABA, and we strive to fill the gap as a capacity building organization and resource center—to provide support to advocates and state court judges involved in the process.

What information can be found on this page? CILA created this webpage for judges presiding over immigrant children’s cases in state court as a place to find key resources. The webpage provides useful information to acquaint judges with an overview of the process for immigrant children seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS).

Need more information? For those who are experienced and for those who are new to SIJS and children’s immigration issues, CILA is here as a resource. Contact us for technical assistance or with general questions to cila@abacila.org.