Key facts
- A federal lawsuit alleges the Trump administration is targeting unaccompanied children for deportation.
- The suit claims this policy prioritizes deportation numbers over legal protections for vulnerable youth.
- Immigration judges are reportedly instructed to expedite cases and limit processing time for children's applications.
- The lawsuit cites cases of trafficking survivors and abused children being ordered for removal.
- Government agencies named in the suit include the Department of Justice, DHS, ICE, and USCIS.
- The lawsuit comes as funding for legal representation for unaccompanied children is ending.
The Trump administration is facing allegations of deliberately targeting unaccompanied children for deportation, according to a federal lawsuit filed in the U.S. district court for the eastern district of Pennsylvania. The lawsuit, brought by Jewish Family and Community Services of Pittsburgh (JFCS) and six immigrant clients, claims that children fleeing danger are being repatriated to increase deportation numbers, even when they qualify for legal status through pathways like Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification or T nonimmigrant status.
Plaintiffs assert that immigration judges have received instructions to limit the time available for processing children's applications, leading to accelerated hearings and expedited removal orders. This practice, they argue, conflicts with the agenda of protecting vulnerable children, who often arrive in the U.S. as victims of trafficking, abuse, or neglect.
The lawsuit names the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as defendants. Historically, immigration judges have granted reprieves to allow children time to pursue legal status, but this practice has reportedly eroded under the current administration.
Specific cases cited include a 17-year-old trafficking survivor from Guatemala who was ordered deported despite a determination of severe trafficking, and a 19-year-old from Vietnam who fled abuse and had his SIJ application approved but still faced a deportation order. JFCS counsel noted that hearings are advanced on short notice and judges who grant children more time may be penalized.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that President Trump and DHS are focused on protecting children and working to reunite them with families, asserting that all illegal aliens receive due process. However, the lawsuit coincides with the federal government ending a contract that funded lawyers for over 20,000 unaccompanied children, a move described as stripping away protections.