“Tommy” lost his mother at a young age and Tommy’s father never provided him regular care or supervision. Tommy’s father left him after his mother passed away and the child was left in the care of his grandmother. Tommy was terrified that gangs were going to kill him as they had killed his boss for refusing to pay a “war tax.” Tommy had to quit school because the gangs were forcefully recruiting all the boys his age. Tommy also knew his elderly grandmother could no longer protect him or provide for him and chose to make the perilous journey to the US to the only relative willing and able to take care of him.
Tommy was referred to AI Justice just three weeks before he turned 18, which is the age at which children like Tommy “age out” and are no longer eligible for relief from deportation. AI Justice quickly began preparing his dependency case and filed it a week before Tommy’s 18th birthday in state juvenile court in Palm Beach County. Without judicial intervention, Tommy would have been ordered deported back to Honduras, a country with the world’s highest murder rate. One day prior to Tommy’s birthday, the dependency judge ruled in Tommy’s favor. AI Justice is currently awaiting his appointment with USCIS so we can obtain Tommy’s green card.