The Trump administration has suspended the program that provided lawyers to nearly 26,000 immigrant children. This is either in or detained by the Refugee Resettlement Department, or too young to speak.
Around 4,000 children living in California face deportation, many have no parents or legal guardians in the country.
The Home Office ordered the Acacia Centre for Justice on Tuesday. This coordinated the federal funding program that it paid lawyers “to stop work.” In the letter, the agency cited the contract rules to justify the suspension of the program, but the reason did not provide a clear reason.
“Stop work orders are implemented for causes outside your control and should not be misunderstood as a sign of a company’s poor performance,” the letter said.
The department of the Department of Internal Health and Human Services, which oversees the Refugee Resettlement Bureau, did not respond to a request for comment.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has sought to undermine some of the immigration system that supports detainees. The order comes as an administrative group that billionaire aide Elon Musk calls for government efficiency, cutting off programs that say they are not consistent with the administration’s objectives. Masu.
The move rattles off immigration rights groups that were representing children.
“We’ve seen a lot of people living in the country,” said Michael Lukens, executive director of the Amica Immigration Rights Center in Washington. “Many NGOs need to close. That now shows the trend of removing funds without considering human influence.”
Acacia will receive approximately $200 million in federal funds each year as part of a five-year contract renewed next year. Working with 99 service providers across the country, it is provided to children’s lawyers and provides basic legal information and other legal services to even more children.
Lukens said Amica is considering many remedies and is likely including a lawsuit that will halt the lawsuit.
Some of the children that are part of the program are abused, persecuted or trafficked.
“This means that at tomorrow, you are expected to appear in court without legal counsel yourself, and you are trying to protect yourself from deportation in a hostile system,” says Daniela Hernandez. Jung Kui said. Her small Pasadena office represents 63 children, ages 2 to 17.
And she said that the oath requires ethically to protect these children, but if payments don’t come, she doesn’t know how the office will survive in its current form.
“The system hopes that these children will be able to provide legal applications and legal papers and explain to the court why they will translate these documents, fearing that they will return.” She said. “These are kids here in America, literally no adults, so now they say, ‘Hey, can you just not help me find a private lawyer?’ plug. These are literally kids. ”
The program dates back 20 years, with the number of unaccompanied minors rising at the southern US border, increasing pressure under the Obama administration, and arresting the boy quickly, whether or not he has an advisor. I’ve started doing this.
“The impact of this move is that thousands of children will be illegally deported, and that will ensure that Congress has children intended to protect immigration laws,” lawsuits against the Obama administration. UCLA was part of the “That’s cruel.”
The United States recognizes its right to lawyers, but children do not have the right to lawyers appointed to court. According to Acacia, since 2017, approximately 57% of children with pending cases have had legal representation.
“The administration’s decision to suspend this program undermines legitimate processes, disproportionately affecting vulnerable children, and presents additional risks of harm and exploitation to children who have already experienced severe trauma. It’s going to be,” the executive director of Acacia Center for Justice stated.
“This decision will be made to children who fly in the face of decades of work and bipartisan cooperation, or who are at risk of human trafficking, protecting their legal rights and interests. I guaranteed I’d have a kind legal representative.”
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