Support Her Fight for Justice

My name is Jenn Laurenza, and I am one of the next friends representing an 8-year-old American child, S.R.C., in a federal civil rights lawsuit. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an approved caregiver, and a mother of five, including two children adopted through the foster care system.

I have spent over two decades supporting children, adults, and families impacted by trauma, and I have lived what it means to love and raise children who have come through the foster care system.

Why We’re Asking for Your Urgent Help

S.R.C. is a United States citizen, born and raised in Massachusetts. She has never lived outside the United States, speaks only English, and has significant medical, emotional, and educational needs that require consistent, trauma-informed care.

S.R.C.’s mother was fifteen years old at the time of her birth and was unable to care for her daughter. Her biological father was an adult who was undocumented at the time of conception and was deported to Guatemala shortly thereafter. He has never lived with S.R.C., never had custody of her, and did not contribute to her care.

Since there were no fit parents able to care for S.R.C. early on in her life, she has been in foster care since she was a toddler. Her medical, emotional, and educational needs have required consistent oversight and care provided through the Commonwealth.

After many years in foster care, S.R.C.'s Biological dad subsequently re-entered the country briefly as an undocumented immigrant, but was again deported in 2024. Because biological dad never had custody or caregiving responsibility for this child, the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) has never fully investigated allegations of abuse or neglect against him.

Despite these facts, DCF is now preparing to administratively expel S.R.C., a United States citizen child, from the United States and forcibly remove her to Guatemala. DCF proposes to send her to live with her biological father, a man she does not know, who does not speak her language, and who has never parented her.

S.R.C. has no legal status, citizenship, or recognized right of residence in Guatemala, and no court has issued a lawful custody order conferring jurisdiction on that country or placing her under the care of a governmental agency that would provide oversight, services, or protection with her welfare as paramount.

S.R.C.'s Life Could Be Changed Forever Tomorrow

Our legal team is working hard in Federal Court to stop DCF from violating the constitutional rights of children in foster care by quietly removing US Citizen children to foreign countries without Federal oversight and protection for those children. We believe DCF should protect American kids like S.R.C. from dangerous removals, but DCF should also be held accountable when they don't.

DCF could put S.R.C. on a plane to Guatemala as early as tomorrow, but this is not just about S.R.C. This is about all the invisible and forgotten American kids who DCF puts on a plane and sends out of the country without any accountability for the fate of those children or the consequences of DCF's failed system.

But we can't do this alone.

We need your help to raise $25,000 immediately to cover our current legal expenses. Our long term goal is to raise at least $100,000 to ensure this case can be properly litigated at every phase to ensure that the rights of American kids in foster care are protected.

Anything you can give helps. No donation is too small. Every gift is a sign that someone cares about these kids, who basically need us to stand up for them.

All funds raised through this campaign will be deposited into a bank account set up exclusively for legal fundraising for this case. From there, funds will be transferred directly to the law firm representing S.R.C. in her federal case.

These funds (your donations) will be used to cover legal fees for filing appeals, court motions, and all litigation costs necessary to prevent the unlawful removal of S.R.C. and protect her rights as an American citizen.

Thank you for your support.