The Trump administration has stopped a program that provides lawyers to nearly 26,000 immigrant children, some of whom are too young to read or speak in detention centers in refugee residence offices.
These children (about 4,000 people live in California) face deportation, and many of them do not have parents or legal guardians in the country.
The Interior Department ordered the Acacia Justice Center on Tuesday, which coordinated a federally funded program that paid attorneys for “stop work.” The agency cited contract rules in its letter to justify the suspension of the plan, but provided no clear reason.
“Stop work orders are being implemented for reasons outside of your control and the indication that your company is underperforming,” the letter said.
The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment, overseeing the interior of the Refugee Resettlement Office.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has tried to undermine parts of the immigration system that supports detainees. The order came as an administrative advisory group, with billionaire assistant Elon Musk calling the government’s efficiency ministry Fire federal workers Throughout the government and eliminated the said plans, they do not align with the government’s goals.
The move has rattled the immigration rights groups representing children, some of whom are only a few months old.
“This is a disaster we hope we can avoid,” said Michael Lukens, executive director of the Amika Center for Immigration Rights in Washington. “Many NGOs have to be closed. It marks a tendency to get rid of funding at the moment There is no tendency to think about human influence.”
As part of a five-year contract, Acacia receives about $200 million in federal funding each year, which will be renewed next year. It works with 99 service providers nationwide to provide children’s legal counsel and provides tens of thousands of basic legal information and other legal services for children.
Lukens said Amica is considering many remedies, which may include litigation that will stop the lawsuit.
Some children in part of the program were abused, persecuted or trafficked.
“This means hoping that the children will appear alone tomorrow, without legal counsel, and try to defend themselves from deportation in the confrontational system,” said Daniela Hernández Chong Cuy. Her little Pasadena office represents 2 to 17 63 children aged .
Although she said her vow was morally obliged to defend the children, she had no idea how the office would survive in its current form without payment. About three-quarters of the clients belong to contracts.
“The system expects these kids to be able to explain to the court why they are worried about going back, submitting legal applications and legal documents, and then translating those documents,” she said. “These are children without adults in the United States. So no one mentioned: “Hey, can you help me find a personal lawyer? “Literally, these are kids.”
The program dates back to twenty years and along with The number of unaccompanied minors is rising The pressure on the southern U.S. border and advocates under the Obama administration has increased, regardless of whether they have lawyers or not, prompting teenagers to quickly submit to teenagers.
“The impact of this move is that thousands of children will be illegally deported, which will surely include children protected by Congress for immigration laws,” said Ahiran Arulanant, co-director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy. (Ahilan Arulanantham) said. UCLA, he is part of the lawsuit Oppose the Obama administration. “It’s cruel.”
Although the United States recognizes the right to obtain attorneys, children do not have the right to obtain a court-appointed attorney. According to lovesickness, Since 2017about 57% of children with cases have legal representation, a number that has declined since previous years.
“The government’s decision to suspend the plan undermines due process, has a disproportionate impact on vulnerable children and puts children who have experienced severe trauma at risk of further harm or exploitation,” Shania, executive director of the Akach Justice Center, executive director of the Akach Justice Center Aber is presenting.
“In the face of decades of work and bipartisan cooperation, this decision has disappeared to ensure that children who are trafficked or at risk of trafficking have a child-friendly legal representative to protect their legitimate rights and interests.”
