Adan Umanzor came to the United States five years ago as an unaccompanied minor. He had left El Salvador at just nine years of age in search of his mother, whom he hadn't seen since he was eight months old. Milbank’s pro bono team helped Adan successfully navigate the long and arduous immigration process that culminated in Adan receiving his green card in May 2021. He is now a bright and well-spoken teenager, reunited with his mother and on the path to US citizenship.
Coordinating with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), the Milbank team secured Adan’s Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2017, and represented him in the subsequent US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) proceedings. SIJS is granted to children under the age of 21 who seek refuge from distressing circumstances, such as parental abandonment, abuse or neglect, and for whom reunification is not viable.
The Milbank effort was led by senior consulting partner Linda Dakin-Grimm and partner Allan Marks, with the assistance of a team of summer associates.
