CAMINO

Holistic Services for Unaccompanied Children in Central Virginia

  • Who we are

    Camino is a community-based initiative dedicated to providing free, high-quality legal, educational, and wraparound support for unaccompanied immigrant children in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area. Through a three-pronged model—SIJS-focused legal representation, coordinated partnerships for mental health, medical, and academic support, and community education and advocacy—Camino helps vulnerable youth avoid deportation, stabilize their lives, and build a pathway to lawful permanent residency and long-term success. Click below to learn more about Camino’s mission, model, and impact goals.

Mission

free high-quality legal, educational, and community support for immigrant children in our area who are eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). Camino’s advocacy puts young people on a pathway to citizenship and ensures they get the support they need to thrive and become contributing members of our community.

Why This Project Matters

Unaccompanied immigrant children regularly arrive in the U.S. after fleeing abuse, abandonment, or danger in their home countries. More than 3,600 arrived in Virginia in 2024, many of whom are enrolled in public schools in our community. Most are eligible for SIJS, a statutory humanitarian protection with bipartisan support that is unlikely to be terminated by the current political administration. SIJS ultimately provides young people with lawful permanent residency. But it is a complex process, requiring multiple appearances in local family courts, as well as federal immigration legal representation. Children cannot navigate this process alone.

Comprehensive Support for our community’s unaccompanied immigrant children

  • Avoid deportation
  • Obtain SIJ status before their eligibility window closes (in Virginia, the state portion of the process must occur before the child’s 18th birthday)
  • Who obtain lawful permanent residency are able to reach their potential at school and in the community, and more meaningfully participate in our democracy and economy
  • Are able to access services available to support them during and after their transitions, which can be challenging to navigate for recently arriving adults, much less unaccompanied immigrant children

Our Model:
A Three-Prong Approach

SIJS-Focused Legal Representation

Camino’s staff attornattorneys and pro bono lawyers provide:

  • Full legal representation in juvenile court
  • Filing and management of I-360 SIJS petitions
  • Support during removal proceedings
  • Interpretation and sensitive, client-focused communication

SIJS-Focused Legal Representation

Camino’s staff attornattorneys and pro bono lawyers provide:

  • Full legal representation in juvenile court
  • Filing and management of I-360 SIJS petitions
  • Support during removal proceedings
  • Interpretation and sensitive, client-focused communication

Community Education & Advocacy

Using strong existing community networks, Camino collaborates with mental health providers and physicians, schools, social workers, and youth organizations to ensure each child receives:

  • Culturally appropriate and trauma-informed mental health support
  • Medical and dental care
  • School enrollment, ESL access, and academic support
  • Assistance with guardianship and family stabilization
  • Safety planning, housing, and access to resources for other basic needs
  • Summer internship program providing mentorship and leadership opportunities

Impact and Goals

Our primary impacts will be:

  • Preventing vulnerable youth from being deported; providing immigration status stability
  • Expanding mental health and medical care access for clients
  • Increasing educational support and opportunities for recently arrived children
  • Advocating for legislative and policy shifts that will allow unaccompanied immigrant children to thrive in our community

Camino is a three-year project (that we may extend) with the following annual goals:

  • Provide timely SIJS screenings for all identified children in our area
  • Represent 50 youth through SIJS and related immigration matters
  • Connect every client to needed medical, mental health, and academic support
  • Establish 10 formal partnerships with referral partners across local healthcare, education, and social services
  • Deliver community education to 150 local providers