The Trump administration on Friday restored a program that funds lawyers representing unaccompanied minors in immigration courts.
“This letter cancels a suspended work order issued on February 18, 2025,” a memo from the Acacia Center for Justice, which is contracted to administer the Nationwide program.
The program provides approximately 26,000 children to legal representatives, with some people too young to read or speak. Many of these children survive abuse, persecution, or trafficking and are under the control of the Refugee Resettlement Bureau. The Ministry of Health and Human Services, which oversees the agency, did not respond to a request for comment.
In California, the program represents around 4,000 children who do not have legal guardians.
“We welcome the news,” said Shaina Aber, executive director of Acacia Centre for Justice. “We will work with the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that these critical services in favour of the basic due process rights of vulnerable children are fully restored and that partners in the legal sector are guaranteed. We seek safety. – They can resume their work without any confusion or delays in the future.”
The decision came after supporters flooded members of Congress with support letters.
But supporters are worried that the program could ultimately lose funds as the administration continues to strip support from the country’s immigrants without position.
President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday, aiming to block undocumented immigrants from federal benefits. The order directs the Government’s Office of Efficiency, Management and Budget to identify federal funds for the next 30 days that have been illegally spent here.
Children in the immigration system have rights to lawyers, but they have no rights to those appointed to court.
Acacia has found that since 2017, approximately 57% of children with pending cases are legal representatives.
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