In late 2015, the California Legislature passed a law allowing courts to appoint guardians for people between 18 and 20 years old for the purpose of applying for SIJS. In approving the bill, the Legislature wrote that it was “particularly necessary in light of the vulnerability of this class of unaccompanied youth, and their need for a custodial relationship with a responsible adult as they adjust to a new cultural context, language, and education system, and recover from the trauma of abuse, neglect, or abandonment.”
Source: latimes.com – Los Angeles Times