Tens of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children in the U.S. may lose legal representation as a federal contract for legal services expires, increasing their risk of deportation. Advocates warn the administration is targeting the program.
The expiration of this legal aid contract jeopardizes the legal protections for vulnerable children, potentially leading to their deportation to dangerous situations and undermining established laws designed to safeguard them.
Tens of thousands of migrant children who arrived in the United States alone may face increased deportation risks following the expiration of a federal contract that funded their legal representation. The contract, which ends Friday, provided legal services to approximately 20,000 children through a network of nearly 100 legal groups.
Advocates warn that without legal counsel, these children, many of whom have fled abuse or neglect in their home countries, will be significantly more likely to be deported. The providers state they have not been paid for over six months, attributing the withheld payments to the administration's demand for detailed client information that they deem ethically problematic.
Organizations like Estrella El Paso, which represents 243 unaccompanied children, are uncertain about their ability to continue providing services and visiting clients in shelters. The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 generally requires the government to facilitate legal representation for children in deportation proceedings and to place them in the least restrictive setting possible, often with a sponsor.