O’Melveny Aids Nigerian Brothers Fleeing Persecution

An O’Melveny team secured Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) for two long-time pro bono clients, Nigerian brothers escaping persecution. The Administrative Appeals Office reversed the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) prior erroneous denial of SIJS, halting deportation proceedings against the brothers and offering them a pathway to legal status.

The brothers fled to the United States in 2016 as teenagers to escape religious, political, and tribal persecution. Their family is Christian and from the Igbo tribe. Both groups are heavily persecuted minorities in Nigeria. A gunman from a rival political party attacked the family, causing major injuries to both brothers and the death of another brother.

A New York Family Court issued a special findings order, which is usually sufficient to obtain SIJS status from USCIS. However, the brothers’ applications were denied, triggering a three-year legal battle by O’Melveny to have the decision reversed. The pro bono team was ultimately successful, and the brothers were granted the SIJS relief they long had sought, enabling them both to remain safely in the US and pursue education and job training.