In re Estate of Nina L. , 2015 IL App (1st) 152223 ( 2015 )


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    2015 IL App (1st) 152223
                                                                                THIRD DIVISION
    September 16, 2015
    No. 1-15-2223
    In re ESTATE OF NINA L., a Minor, by Terry Howerton )               Appeal from the
    and Richard Aleong, Coguardians,                    )               Circuit Court of
    )               Cook County
    Petitioners-Appellants.        )
    )               No. 
    15 P. 1340
                                                        )
    )               Honorable
    )               Susan Kennedy Sullivan,
    )               Judge Presiding.
    PRESIDING JUSTICE MASON delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.
    Justices Lavin and Hyman concurred in the judgment and opinion.
    OPINION
    ¶1           Petitioners, Terry Howerton and Richard Aleong, were appointed by the circuit
    court of Cook County to act as coguardians of Nina L., a nonrelative minor who was born
    in Taiwan and came to this country with her mother when she was six years old. At the
    time the petition was filed, Nina was 17 years old; she will turn 18 on September 23,
    2015. Following their appointment, petitioners filed a motion requesting the trial court to
    make certain findings that would enable Nina to apply for Special Immigrant Juvenile
    (SIJ) status, an application that, if granted, could lead to permanent resident status and,
    ultimately, citizenship. The court denied the motion and declined to make any findings, a
    ruling from which petitioners appealed.
    ¶2           On August 25, 2015, we entered an order vacating the trial court's order and,
    based on our de novo review of petitioner's brief and supporting record, made findings
    that (i) Nina's reunification with one or both of her parents is not viable due to abuse,
    No. 1-15-2223
    neglect or abandonment and (ii) return to Taiwan is not in Nina's best interest. We now
    set forth the basis for our ruling.
    ¶3                                           BACKGROUND
    ¶4              We draw the facts from the affidavits and other materials filed in the trial court.
    Nina was born in Taiwan in 1997 and for the past eight years has had virtually no contact
    with her father, a native of Taiwan. Nina's mother, Maria L., a native of the Philippines,
    came to this country in 2003 on a student visa. After Maria's visa expired, Maria and
    Nina remained here and thus are considered undocumented immigrants and are subject to
    deportation.
    ¶5              Until September 2014, Nina lived with her mother, most recently in Lincolnwood,
    Illinois. She attends high school in the community. In September 2014, Maria left for
    California without making any arrangements for Nina's care and left Nina alone in their
    apartment.
    ¶6              Petitioners are a couple who were married in 2012. They reside with two of
    Howerton's nieces who came to live with them after their mother, Howerton's sister, died.
    Howerton has adopted the younger girl and has been appointed to act as guardian of the
    older girl. The older girl and Nina have been friends for several years and attend the
    same high school. Nina has also accompanied petitioners and the two girls on family
    vacations. When petitioners learned of Nina's situation shortly after her mother left, they
    insisted that Nina come to stay with them, and she has resided with them ever since.
    ¶7              After several months, petitioners decided to seek court appointment as Nina's
    guardians in order to enable them to more formally arrange for Nina's care, including
    placing her on their health insurance and having the authority to make decisions for her.
    2
    No. 1-15-2223
    Petitioners initiated guardianship proceedings on March 4, 2015. Maria was initially
    served by publication, but after the court was advised that she had returned to Illinois and
    Nina had been in contact with her, petitioners were directed to provide her proper notice.
    Maria executed a consent to guardianship on June 18, 2015, in which she represented that
    she was "unable and unwilling" to care for her daughter. The notary's attestation on the
    consent reflects that Maria appeared in Illinois to execute it.
    ¶8              The court also appointed a guardian ad litem (GAL) for Nina. The GAL filed a
    report with the court summarizing the results of his investigation into the guardianship
    petition. In addition to the circumstances of Nina's situation, the GAL reported that
    Maria had returned from California and was now living "on the north side of Chicago."
    He further summarized a telephone conversation he had on July 9, 2015, with a person
    identifying herself as Maria. This individual confirmed that she had left Nina alone while
    she traveled to California and that she is "grateful" that petitioners have agreed to act as
    her daughter's guardians but had no prior arrangement with them to do so. She believed
    the guardianship was in her daughter's best interest, her consent to the guardianship was
    voluntary, she did not expect Nina to return to live with her, and she was unwilling to
    come to court.
    ¶9              According to petitioners and the GAL, none of the parties involved was aware at
    the outset of the possible immigration benefits to Nina resulting from the guardianship
    and that was not the motivation for Maria's "abandonment" of her daughter or petitioners'
    efforts to be named her guardians.
    3
    No. 1-15-2223
    ¶ 10            Petitioners were appointed to act as Nina's coguardians on July 14, 2015. On July
    29, 2015, petitioners filed their motion seeking SIJ findings. In a supplemental report,
    Nina's GAL supported the motion and urged the court to make the requested findings.
    ¶ 11            After a hearing, the court entered its August 7, 2015 order. The order recites that
    petitioners requested "this Court to 'find that reunification with one or both of [Nina L.'s]
    parents is not viable due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment or similar basis found under
    state law.' " The order further recites that "[t]here has been no finding by this court that
    reunification of the minor is not viable" and otherwise denied the petition. The court did
    not address whether return to Taiwan was in Nina's best interest. Petitioners filed their
    notice of appeal on August 12, 2015. There is no party opposing petitioners in this court.
    ¶ 12                                            ANALYSIS
    ¶ 13            We must first address whether we have jurisdiction over this appeal. The circuit
    court's order denying petitioners' motion for SIJ findings is not a "final judgment" in the
    traditional sense. Generally, in order to be considered "final" for purposes of appeal, an
    order must dispose of the rights of the parties either on the entire case or on some definite
    and separate part of the controversy. See Brentine v. DaimlerChrysler Corp., 356 Ill.
    App. 3d 760, 765 (2005); In re Marriage of Gutman, 
    232 Ill. 2d 145
    , 151 (2008). In most
    contexts, the denial of a motion does not satisfy this standard. See, e.g., Cabinet Service
    Tile, Inc. v. Schroeder, 
    255 Ill. App. 3d 865
    , 868-69 (1993) (denial of motion to dismiss
    was not a final and appealable order); Resurgence Financial, LLC v. Kelly, 
    376 Ill. App. 3d
    60, 62 (2007) (denial of summary judgment motion was not final and appealable,
    because " '[w]hen an order leaves a cause still pending and undecided, it is not a final
    order' " (quoting Austin's Rack, Inc. v. Gordon & Glickson, P.C., 
    145 Ill. App. 3d 500
    ,
    4
    No. 1-15-2223
    502 (1986))). But at least one court considering issues pertaining to SIJ predicate
    findings has observed that the denial of the juvenile's motion effectively terminates the
    juvenile's ability to pursue this avenue of immigration relief. See In re Interest of Luis
    G., 
    764 N.W.2d 648
    , 654-55 (Neb. Ct. App. 2009). In Luis G., the trial court initially
    made the requested SIJ findings, but later vacated them, an order from which the minors
    appealed. 
    Id. Concluding it
    had jurisdiction over the appeal, the court stated:
    "[W]ithout the order of eligibility, including the required findings from the state
    court, [the minors] would be barred from proceeding in the federal system with a
    valid application for special immigrant juvenile status and would face deportation
    to Guatemala. The order vacating that eligibility determination effectively
    terminates the application for legal permanent residence, clearly affecting a
    substantial right of both [minors]." 
    Id. We agree
    with this reasoning and therefore conclude we have jurisdiction to address the
    merits of petitioners' appeal.
    ¶ 14            No reported decision in Illinois addresses the issues presented here. State courts
    in a number of other jurisdictions have addressed issues relating to requests for predicate
    findings required for SIJ applications and so we examine those authorities for guidance.
    See Rhone v. First American Title Insurance Co., 
    401 Ill. App. 3d 802
    , 812 (2010)
    ("Although the decisions of foreign courts are not binding, 'the use of foreign decisions as
    persuasive authority is appropriate where Illinois authority on point is lacking or
    absent.' " (quoting Carroll v. Curry, 
    392 Ill. App. 3d 511
    , 517 (2009))). We begin by
    discussing the history of SIJ status under federal law.
    5
    No. 1-15-2223
    ¶ 15            The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1990 (Act) first established SIJ status as
    a path for resident immigrant children to achieve permanent residency in the United
    States. In re Israel O., 
    182 Cal. Rptr. 3d 548
    , 549 (Cal. Ct. App. 2015) (discussing
    history of SIJ status); see 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(27)(J) (Supp. I 2014) (current version of
    statute). The provisions for SIJ status, as applied to minors, were designed "to protect
    abused, neglected, or abandoned children, who, with their families, illegally entered the
    United States." Yeboah v. United States Department of Justice, 
    345 F.3d 216
    , 221 (3d
    Cir. 2003). These provisions also apply to children who legally entered the country, but
    who have fallen out of status and have elected to remain here. See In re Mohamed B.,
    
    921 N.Y.S.2d 145
    (N.Y. App. Div. 2011) (minor who overstayed visitor's visa entitled to
    pursue SIJ findings).
    ¶ 16            The criteria for eligibility for SIJ status have changed over time. As initially
    drafted, a literal reading of the statute permitted juveniles admitted to the United States as
    visiting students to apply for SIJ status. See 
    Yeboah, 345 F.3d at 221
    . In 1997, the
    statute was amended to require that the juvenile be committed to or placed under the
    custody of a state agency or department and be found eligible for long-term foster care
    due to parental abuse, neglect or abandonment. 
    Id. at 221-22.
    The requirement of
    eligibility for long-term foster care was modified in 2008 and, as presently formulated,
    the statute now requires that a state or juvenile court place the minor in the custody of
    either (i) a state agency or department or (ii) an individual or entity appointed by the
    court and that the dependency determination be due to a finding that reunification with
    one or both parents is not viable due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. 8 U.S.C. §
    1101(a)(27)(J)(i) (Supp. I 2014). Separately, the court must also find that return to the
    6
    No. 1-15-2223
    minor's country of nationality is not in the minor's best interest. 8 U.S.C. §
    1101(a)(27)(J)(ii) (Supp. I 2014).
    ¶ 17            For SIJ purposes, the "appointment of a guardian constitutes the necessary
    declaration of dependency on the juvenile court." (Internal quotation marks omitted.) In
    the Matter of Trudy-Ann W. v. Joan W., 
    901 N.Y.S.2d 296
    , 299 (N.Y. App. Div. 2010);
    see also In re Minor Children J.E. & J.C., 
    74 A.3d 1013
    , 1018 (N.J. Super. Ct. Ch. Div.
    2013) ("As a result of the removal of the foster care requirement, state courts may now
    make SIJ[] [status] findings whenever jurisdiction can be exercised under state law to
    make care and custody determinations, and are no longer confined to child protection
    proceedings alone."). " 'The SIJ statute affirms the institutional competence of state
    courts as the appropriate forum for child welfare determinations regarding abuse, neglect,
    or abandonment, and a child's best interests.' " In re Mario S., 
    954 N.Y.S.2d 843
    , 849
    (N.Y. Fam. Ct. 2012) (quoting In re J.J.X.C., 
    734 S.E.2d 120
    , 124 (Ga. Ct. App. 2012)).
    ¶ 18            Implementing regulations require that an application for SIJ status attach an order
    from a state juvenile court containing the findings as set forth in the statute. 8 C.F.R.
    § 204.11(b), (d)(2) (2014). Once an order containing the required findings is entered, the
    juvenile may apply to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and
    Immigration Services (USCIS) for SIJ status. At the same time, the juvenile files an
    application to become a lawful permanent resident. 3 Charles Gordon et al., Immigration
    Law and Procedure § 35.09, at 35-46 to 35-47 (Matthew Bender rev. ed. 2015).
    7
    No. 1-15-2223
    The SIJ application must be filed before the juvenile's 18th birthday. 1 Approval of an
    application for SIJ status requires the consent of the Secretary of the Department of
    Homeland Security acting through the District Director of USCIS, which is "an
    acknowledgement that the request for SIJ classification is bona fide." (Internal quotation
    marks omitted.) 
    Id. at 35-40
    to 35-41.
    ¶ 19            If the application is granted, the juvenile may become a lawful permanent resident
    who, after five years, is eligible to become a United States citizen. See Zheng v. Pogash,
    
    416 F. Supp. 2d 550
    , 554 (S.D. Tex. 2006) (citing federal SIJ status petition guidelines).
    Denial of SIJ status renders the applicant subject to deportation. Finally, SIJ status
    benefits only the juvenile; a parent whose child is granted SIJ status may not obtain
    immigration relief based on the child's status as a lawful permanent resident or United
    States citizen. 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(27)(J)(iii)(II) (Supp. I 2014) ("no natural parent or
    prior adoptive parent of any alien provided special immigrant status under this
    subparagraph shall thereafter, by virtue of such parentage, be accorded any right,
    privilege, or status under this Act").
    ¶ 20            Against this background, we examine the decisions from various foreign
    jurisdictions that have addressed issues pertaining to requests for SIJ predicate findings.
    ¶ 21            One theme that runs through several decisions is the state court's reluctance to
    make the requested findings based on policy concerns. For example, in Leslie H. v.
    1
    But see Perez-Olano v. Holder, a case in which USCIS entered into a settlement
    agreement in a class action involving juveniles who filed for SIJ status on or after May 13, 2005.
    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Policy Memorandum (June 25, 2015),
    http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Laws/Memoranda/2015/2015-0625_Perez-
    Olano_Settlement_Agreement_PM_APPROVED.pdf. As part of the settlement, USCIS agreed
    to process SIJ applications for juveniles whose applications were denied, revoked or terminated
    based on the termination of the state dependency order due to the juvenile reaching the age of 18.
    
    Id. 8 No.
    1-15-2223
    Superior Court, 
    168 Cal. Rptr. 3d 729
    (Cal. Ct. App. 2014), an immigrant minor was
    adjudicated delinquent of assault and burglary after she and two friends attempted to steal
    items from a liquor store. After her guilty plea, the minor was declared a ward of the
    court and committed to a juvenile detention facility. She then applied to the court for the
    necessary SIJ predicate findings. After a hearing at which evidence of the minor's abuse
    and abandonment by her biological parents was presented, the court declined to make the
    findings. The trial court concluded that Congress could not have intended to confer
    immigration benefits on juveniles adjudicated delinquent of criminal offenses. Further,
    the court determined that it was unable to find that (i) reunification was not viable
    because it doubted the juvenile's credibility and (ii) return to Mexico was not in the
    juvenile's best interest given her failure to attend school and criminal behavior while in
    the United States. Reversing, the California Court of Appeal concluded that the trial
    court had misapprehended its role in making the SIJ predicate findings:
    "A state court's role in the SIJ process is not to determine worthy candidates for
    citizenship, but simply to identify abused, neglected, or abandoned alien children
    under its jurisdiction who cannot reunify with a parent or be safely returned in
    their best interests to their home country." 
    Id. at 737.
    See also Mario 
    S., 954 N.Y.S.2d at 852-53
    ("The juvenile court need not determine ***
    what the motivation of the juvenile in making application for the required findings might
    be [citations]; whether allowing a particular child to remain in the United States might
    someday pose some unknown threat to public safety [citation]; and whether the USCIS
    *** may or may not grant a particular application for adjustment of status as a SIJ.").
    9
    No. 1-15-2223
    ¶ 22            Similarly, a court asked to make SIJ predicate findings need not discern a parent's
    motivation in abandoning the child. In Eddie E. v. Superior Court, 
    183 Cal. Rptr. 3d 773
    ,
    782 (Cal. Ct. App. 2015), the court observed:
    "Of course the SIJ statute was not designed to provide citizenship to petitioners
    who are comfortably living with a loving, supportive parent. But it is USCIS's
    role to determine whether the petitioner has applied for SIJ status primarily for the
    purpose of obtaining relief from abuse, neglect, or abandonment, not the state
    court's role."
    In fact, in removal proceedings against a minor who sought SIJ status, the Board of
    Immigration Appeals determined that she did not qualify given that although a state court
    had ordered that her parents be removed as her guardians (by consent) and a family friend
    be appointed as her guardian, the minor had not shown that reunification with her parents
    was not viable due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. In re Blanca Rocio
    Deleg-Vergara, No. A088 793 320, 
    2010 WL 4509733
    , (BIA Oct. 29, 2010)
    (unpublished decision).
    ¶ 23            There is a split among reported authorities on the issue of whether, when the
    applicant shows that one parent has abused, neglected or abandoned the child, but the
    other has not, the predicate of abuse, neglect or abandonment by "1 or both" parents has
    been satisfied. 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(27)(J)(i) (Supp. I 2014). According to one line of
    cases, if the minor has been abused, neglected or abandoned by one parent, but is living
    with the other parent, an SIJ finding that reunification is not viable is not warranted. See
    In re Erick M., 
    820 N.W.2d 639
    , 644 (Neb. 2012) (minor adjudicated delinquent for
    possession of alcohol and committed to treatment facility; although minor had no contact
    10
    No. 1-15-2223
    with his father, he lived with his mother prior to the adjudication and wanted to return to
    her; while court found minor's proposed construction of the statute was reasonable, it
    nevertheless construed "1 or both" language as meaning that, depending on the minor's
    circumstances, "either reunification with one parent is not feasible or reunification with
    both parents is not feasible" (emphases in original)); H.S.P. v. J.K., 
    87 A.3d 255
    , 266
    (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. 2014) (trial court awarded custody of 17-year-old immigrant
    child to child's uncle, but refused to make SIJ findings; ruling affirmed where there was
    no evidence that minor's mother, who lived in India, had willfully neglected him although
    she was too poor to provide him sanitary living conditions, an education or medical care;
    thus, although father had abandoned the minor at birth, court construed "1 or both"
    language as requiring a showing that reunification with neither parent is viable). 2
    ¶ 24            But other courts have reached the opposite conclusion. The court in Eddie E., 
    183 Cal. Rptr. 3d 773
    , directly addressed and disagreed with the reasoning of Erick M. and
    H.S.P. In Eddie E., the minor was a citizen of Mexico who came to this country with his
    mother at the age of five to reunite with his father. The minor's mother ultimately left the
    family and died several years later. The minor continued to live with his father and
    although he lived a hard life, his father never abused him. After the minor was
    adjudicated delinquent of several criminal offenses, he petitioned the court to make SIJ
    findings. 
    Id. at 776.
    The trial court declined to make the findings, determining that
    because the minor's father never abused him, he could not establish that reunification
    with his father was not viable due to abuse or neglect and that the minor's inability to
    reunify with his mother was due to her death and not abandonment. 
    Id. at 777.
    The court
    2
    The New Jersey Supreme Court has granted a petition for review in H.S.P. v. J.K., 
    95 A.3d 258
    (N.J. 2014).
    11
    No. 1-15-2223
    further declined to find that return to Mexico was not in the minor's best interest. 
    Id. The court
    of appeal reversed, finding that under the plain meaning of the statutory language,
    the minor's abandonment by one parent—his mother—sufficed. 
    Id. at 783.
    ¶ 25            Fundamentally, the Eddie E. court concluded that the courts in Erick M. and
    H.S.P. misunderstood the role of state courts in making SIJ findings; state courts are not
    gatekeepers, charged with weeding out motions for SIJ findings that they believe are not
    bona fide:
    "Certainly, petitioner has presented a case from which a reasonable USCIS field
    director could conclude that petitioner has applied for SIJ status in good faith to
    obtain relief from his mother's abandonment. On the other hand, a USCIS field
    director may determine that is not the case. The problem with the Erick M. and
    H.S.P. interpretation is that it completely forecloses the ability of USCIS to make
    that determination. Ultimately, immigration decisions are the purview of the
    federal government, not the state government. [Citation.] The Erick M. and
    H.S.P. courts improperly usurped that role." 
    Id. See also
    Israel 
    O., 182 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 556
    ("We therefore conclude that an eligible
    minor under section 1101(a)(27)(J) includes a juvenile for whom a safe and suitable
    parental home is available in the United States and reunification with a parent in his or
    her country of origin is not viable due to abuse, neglect or abandonment."); In the Matter
    of Marcelina M.-G. v. Israel S., 
    973 N.Y.S.2d 714
    , 722 (N.Y. App. Div. 2013) (minor
    placed in custody of her mother still eligible for SIJ findings where minor had been
    abandoned by her father).
    12
    No. 1-15-2223
    ¶ 26            USCIS, the agency charged with administering the Act, including applications for
    SIJ status, has taken the position that abuse, neglect or abandonment by one parent is
    sufficient for purposes of SIJ predicate findings. See U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
    Services, Immigration Relief for Abused Children, at 1 (Apr. 2014),
    http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Green%20Card/Green%20Card%20Thro
    ugh%20a%20Job/Immigration_Relief_for_Abused_Children-FINAL.pdf (providing that
    SIJ-eligible children may "[b]e living with a foster family, an appointed guardian, or the
    non-abusive parent"); see also Marcelina 
    M.-G., 973 N.Y.S.2d at 724
    (referencing
    USCIS approval of SIJ status applications even though reunification with one parent was
    viable). The agency's position has not been the subject of rulemaking and notice and
    comment and thus is not entitled to deference under Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Natural
    Resources Defense Council, Inc., 
    467 U.S. 837
    (1984), but we nevertheless believe it is a
    reasonable construction of the statute. Christensen v. Harris County, 
    529 U.S. 576
    , 587
    (2000) (agency interpretations that are not the product of formal rulemaking are "entitled
    to respect *** but only to the extent that those interpretations have the power to
    persuade" (internal quotation marks omitted)).
    ¶ 27            Although, for reasons we discuss below, the record supports a finding that Nina
    has, in fact, been abandoned by both parents, we believe the position adopted by USCIS,
    Eddie E., Israel O., and Marcelina M.-G. adheres to the plain language of the statute,
    which is not ambiguous. If Congress meant that an applicant for SIJ status was required
    to show that reunification with both parents was not viable due to abuse, neglect or
    abandonment, it could easily have so provided. Use of the disjunctive indicates that
    abuse, neglect or abandonment by one parent is sufficient to support the predicate
    13
    No. 1-15-2223
    finding. Whether it is sufficient to warrant consent to the application by the District
    Director of USCIS is an entirely separate issue, which is reserved for federal immigration
    authorities, not state courts.
    ¶ 28            In the context of this case, the fact of Nina's abandonment by her father is
    particularly significant. As noted above, Nina's father is a native of Taiwan where Nina
    was born. Nina is thus a citizen of Taiwan. Her mother is a native of the Philippines.
    We do not know whether Nina, soon to be an adult citizen of Taiwan, can be deported to
    the Philippines even if she maintains a relationship with her mother, who is presently
    subject to deportation. We have no expertise in the laws of Taiwan or the Philippines
    that would enable us to answer this question. And there is no indication in the record
    that, apart from her father, Nina has had contact with her relatives, if any, in Taiwan over
    the past 12 years. Thus, as a practical matter, Nina's abandonment by her father warrants
    a finding that return to the country of her birth (Taiwan) is not in her best interest wholly
    apart from the abandonment by her mother.
    ¶ 29            On the issue of Maria's abandonment of Nina, we understand the circuit court's
    reluctance to make the requested findings based, as we assume it was, on the court's
    skepticism regarding Maria's motives. But even if we assume that Maria's abandonment
    was motivated solely by the desire to give her daughter the opportunity to seek SIJ status,
    the fact is Maria did abandon Nina; Nina was placed under the coguardianship of
    petitioners precisely because there was no one else available to care for and make
    decisions for her. And just as Maria's motivation in abandoning her daughter was not
    relevant in the context of appointing petitioners to act as her guardians, so too is it
    irrelevant to the determination as to whether Nina has been abandoned for purposes of the
    14
    No. 1-15-2223
    SIJ predicate findings. Again, the bona fides of and reasons for the abandonment are not
    our concern and will be addressed, to the extent that they are deemed relevant, in the
    context of Nina's application for SIJ status.
    ¶ 30            Further, the trial court would not find the answers to these questions in any
    evidentiary hearing. Again, it is undisputed that Nina has lived with petitioners for nearly
    a year and, although Nina has been in contact with Maria, she is not residing with Maria
    and Maria is not providing for her. There is no party opposing petitioner's motion for SIJ
    findings and thus the adversary process will not work to ferret out the truth or shed light
    on the reasons for Maria's conduct. And, given Maria's immigration status, her
    unwillingness to come to court to testify or otherwise explain her conduct or whereabouts
    is understandable.
    ¶ 31            We note that although the potential benefits associated with SIJ status are
    substantial, Nina's decision to pursue SIJ status is not without risk. Relief is not
    guaranteed and denial of the application renders Nina subject to deportation as an
    undocumented immigrant. 3 Charles Gordon et al., Immigration Law and Procedure
    § 35.09, at 35-46 (Matthew Bender rev. ed. 2015). Given Nina's willingness to assume
    that risk and in light of the facts disclosed in the record before us, we believe Nina's
    opportunity to pursue SIJ status should not be thwarted by our refusal to make the
    findings necessary to allow her application to proceed.
    ¶ 32                                         CONCLUSION
    ¶ 33            On this record, which we review de novo given the lack of any factual or
    credibility determinations made by the trial court (see People v. Nielson, 
    187 Ill. 2d 271
    ,
    286 (1999) (de novo review appropriate where neither facts nor credibility of witnesses is
    15
    No. 1-15-2223
    at issue)), we believe the trial court erred as a matter of law in refusing to make the
    requested findings. We reiterate, as we found in our August 25, 2015 order, that (i)
    reunification with one or both of Nina's parents is not viable due to abuse, neglect or
    abandonment and (ii) return to Taiwan is not in Nina's best interest.
    ¶ 34            Order vacated.
    16