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President Trump’s administration on Friday ended a federal contract that provided legal representation to nearly 26,000 immigrant children who entered the United States without parents or guardians, immigration lawyers say children will remain vulnerable to rapid deportation.
The contract funded the attorneys to immigration courts to represent minors in custody of the Refugee Resettlement Office (with at least 4,000 people residing in California).
Many of these children do not read or speak in English, and some are too young to read or speak.
“It’s going to have a devastating impact on our clients,” Frost Tift said. “Immigrants are five to six times more likely to succeed in their case when represented by lawyers, so if they lose their representation, it would really be harmful to their case.”
Currently, the public advisor represents approximately 200 companion immigrant children in Southern California. Frost-Tift said the lawyers will continue to fulfill their ethical obligations to support these cases for now, but it is unclear how long they will be able to do so without new funding.
It is difficult for around 100 legal aid organizations across the country to discover themselves after learning that the federal contract for children crossing borders without the updated Guardian on March 29th has ended.
Last month, the Trump administration temporarily suspended all work completed under the contract. A few days later, the US Department of Health and Human Services reversed the decision.
Many legal organizations are now urging the Trump administration to turn the course back again.
“The administration’s decision to end these services undermines legitimate processes, disproportionately affects vulnerable children, and puts children who have already experienced severe trauma at risk of further irreparable harm or exploitation,” the executive director of the Acacia Centre for Justice said in a statement. “We urge the administration to reverse this decision.”
The Acacia Center for Justice receives approximately $200 million in federal funds, nonprofits and subcontractors per year to secure legal representation for approximately 26,000 immigrant children.
On Friday, Health and Human Services informed us that we could continue to provide free legal clinics for immigrant children with “know your rights” but we must stop paying legal representatives.
Aber said lawyers not only help children navigate the turbulent legal system, but also help protect them from human trafficking and abuse.
Wendy Young, president of children in need of defense, also condemned the impact of funding cuts on the safety of immigrants. She said it would make it “nearly impossible” for children to appear in court at immigration hearings or stay in touch with immigration agencies.
“It removes a key line of communication and coordination between vulnerable non-company children and the agencies in place to ensure their protection,” she said in a statement.
Unlike criminal courts, individuals in immigration courts do not have guarantees to lawyers.
Children can avoid deportation if they can meet one of the requirements for obtaining special immigrant juvenile status in court. For example, they can prove that they are victims of crime or trafficking, that they have been abandoned or abused by their parents, or that they have been charged in their home country.
However, obtaining this status is almost impossible without a lawyer.
According to a report from the U.S. Immigration Council, children represented by lawyers appear at immigration court hearings about 95% of the time, while those without lawyers appear at about 33%.
Over the past few years, thousands of children have been deported after not participating in immigration hearings. Last month, the Trump administration instructed immigration agents to track and expel unaccompanied immigrant children, according to a memo from immigration customs enforcement obtained by Reuters.
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