The Trump administration ended a contract that provided legal help to migrant children entering the U.S. without a parent or guardian. This decision has sparked concern that these kids will now have to navigate the complicated legal system alone.
The Acacia Center for Justice had a contract with the government to provide legal services to unaccompanied migrant children under 18. They helped with direct legal representation in immigration court and also conducted “know your rights” clinics for children in federal shelters. However, Acacia was informed that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is ending almost all of the legal services they provide, including paying for lawyers for about 26,000 children who have to go to immigration court. The only part of their work that will continue is the legal orientation clinics.
Ailin Buigues, who leads Acacia’s unaccompanied children program, said, “It’s extremely concerning because it’s leaving these kids without really important support. They’re often in a very vulnerable position.”
Unlike in criminal courts, people in deportation proceedings don’t have a right to a government-appointed attorney, though they can hire private lawyers. But it’s widely recognized that children who show up alone are especially vulnerable in the immigration system.
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2008 offers some special protections for children arriving in the U.S. without a parent or guardian.
Emily G. Hilliard, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement that the department is still meeting the legal requirements set by the Act, as well as a legal settlement about how children in immigration custody should be treated.
The termination of the contract comes just days before it was due for renewal on March 29. A month ago, the government temporarily paused all of the legal work Acacia and its partners were doing for migrant children, but they reversed that decision just days later.
The contract is part of a five-year agreement, but the government has the option not to renew it at the end of each year. A termination letter obtained by The Associated Press said the contract was being ended “for the Government’s convenience.”
Michael Lukens, the executive director of Amica, one of Acacia’s partners in Washington, D.C., said they had been worried something like this could happen as the renewal date approached. He emphasized that they’ll continue helping as many kids as they can “for as long as possible” and will fight the termination.
“We’re trying to pull every lever, but we have to be prepared for the worst, which is children going to court without attorneys all over the country,” he said. “This is a complete collapse of the system.”
