U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Monday said they are considering deferring the deportation of illegal immigrant children who are subject to state juvenile court proceedings related to “abuse, neglect, abandonment” to better protect them. The policy update will expand the number of children in the United States who are eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status. SIJ, which was first established by Congress in 1990, allows illegal immigrants under the age of 21 to apply for lawful permanent residency in America if a court determines they need protection and that returning to their home countries would not be safe. According to USCIS, the SIJ classification is available to noncitizen children who are “subject to state juvenile court proceedings related to abuse, neglect, abandonment, or a similar basis under state law.” The new policies would provide immigrant minors who are the victims of such abuse or neglect with an easier path toward receiving green cards, according …