Thousands of immigrant kids risk losing legal aid after Trump administration delays funds
Advocates say the freeze could leave as many as 20,000 unaccompanied children without lawyers, and several legal groups have already stopped work.
- For over six months, the Health and Human Services Department's Office of Refugee Resettlement has withheld $65 million Congress appropriated for legal representation of unaccompanied migrant children.
- Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center, stated the administration withheld funds after attorneys refused to provide sensitive case data, including medical records and legal relief information.
- As many as 20,000 children face losing representation, forcing groups like the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center to serve about 1,100 children while operating on depleted reserves.
- Last week, Federal Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California probed whether the administration should be held in contempt after 11 groups reported no reimbursements.
- Ending its contract with Acacia on July 31, the administration plans to pivot to a Texas commission lacking immigration experience—a move Aber called "yet another system of mass deportations.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Immigration Advocates Sue DHS Over New Fees for Vulnerable Immigrant Children
A coalition of immigration advocacy organizations has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Department of Homeland Security's decision to eliminate fee waivers for immigrant children seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status, arguing the policy unlawfully creates a financial barrier for abused, abandoned and neglected minors seeking legal protection in the United States.
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National Catholic ReporterCatholic agency struggles amid lapse in federal funds for representing unaccompanied minors
"If we can't pay our staff, then there's nobody to provide services. That is our most significant obligation, salaries and benefits."
Immigrant advocates say Trump administration refusing to provide funds to help unaccompanied kids fight deportation - WDET 101.9 FM
The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center claims thousands of unaccompanied migrant children could soon lose the chance for legal representation.That includes some kids so young they need both an attorney and a teddy bear for comfort in court.The immigrant center’s Ana Devereaux says the Trump administration won’t release more than $60 million Congress appropriated to help kids make their case against deportation. …
“Abandonar a los niños es inmoral”: Critican medida de administración Trump que dejaría sin apoyo legal a menores no acompañados
DETROIT, MI – El 31 de julio, la administración Trump desmantelará de manera efectiva el programa que brinda asesoría legal a niños no acompañados. En una conferencia de prensa realizada hoy por el Centro Acacia para la Justicia (Acacia Center for Justice), expertos y defensores advirtieron que si la administración continúa por este camino, decenas […]
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