Trump admin hasn’t funded legal help for unaccompanied immigrant children despite judge’s order
Attorneys say the funding cutoff has caused chaos, with kids as young as 5 facing judges alone in immigration courts. Some are victims of sexual abuse and trafficking.
The Trump administration has not complied with a federal court order directing it to continue funding legal representation for unaccompanied immigrant children, attorneys in the case allege.
Several groups sued the Department of Homeland Security on March 28 after the federal government refused to renew a contract that funds attorneys who help young migrant children who came to the United States alone or were separated from their parents go through the immigration process.
The funding cutoff forced many of the immigrant legal groups to lay off workers, withdraw from cases and scramble to find other legal help for children in immigration court proceedings.
According to a court document filed by the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights, "the sudden and abrupt termination of services, without any warning or advance notice to children, their attorneys, Child Advocates, and immigration judges and court personnel, created chaos and confusion in immigration courts."
In the two weeks since the funding for legal representation ended, advocates from the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights saw children as young as 5 sitting at tables alone facing judges, according to the document. They also saw a 14-year-old child break down in tears in a court lobby when she learned she had to stand alone in court without a lawyer.
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