President Trump ended a federal contract on Friday that provided legal representation for nearly 26,000 immigrant children entering the U.S. without parents or guardians, and immigration lawyers said it would leave children vulnerable to rapid deportation.
The contract provides funding for attorneys to represent minors detained in the immigration court (at least 4,000 people reside in California).
Joel Frost-Tift said many of these kids did not read or speak in English, and some were too young to read or speak. Public Legal Counsel.
“This will have a devastating impact on our customers,” Frost-Tift said. “If immigrants are represented by lawyers, they are five to six times more likely to succeed in a case, so if they lose their representation, it will really damage their case.”
Currently, public legal counsel has about 200 unaccompanied immigrant children in Southern California. Frost-Tift said lawyers will continue to meet their ethical obligations and can currently assist in these cases, but it is unclear how long they will be able to do without new funds.
Incredibly, about 100 legal aid organizations across the country now find themselves in learning that the federal contracts of children without guardians (renewed on March 29) have been terminated.
Last month, the Trump administration temporarily Stopped all work Completed under this contract. A few days later, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Reversed this decision.
Now, many legal organizations are urging the Trump administration to reverse the path again.
“The government’s decision to end these services undermines due process, has had a disproportionate impact on vulnerable children and has rendered children who have already experienced severe trauma. Faces the risk of further irreparable harm or exploitation,” Shaina Aber, Executive Director Acacia Justice Centersaid in a statement. “We urge the government to reverse this decision.”
The Acacia Justice Center receives approximately $200 million in federal funding each year and subcontracts with nonprofit organizations to secure legal representation for approximately 26,000 immigrant children.
On Friday, health and public services notices that it can continue to provide “Understand your rightsFree legal clinics offer free legal clinics to immigrant children, but payments must be stopped for their legal representatives.
Arbor said lawyers can not only help children drive turbulent legal systems, but also help protect them from human trafficking and abuse.
Wendy Young, President Children who need defensealso condemned the impact of cuts on the safety of immigrant children. She said it would Make it “almost impossible” for children to appear in court Stay in touch at immigration hearings or with immigration agencies.
“It undermines critical communication and coordination routes between vulnerable unaccompanied children and institutions to ensure their protection,” she said in a statement.
Unlike criminal courts, individuals in immigration courts do not have guaranteed attorney rights.
Deportation can be avoided if a child can meet one of the requirements for obtaining a special immigrant juvenile status in court. For example, they can prove themselves to be victims of crime or trafficking, abandoned or abused by their parents, or prosecuted in their home country.
However, without a lawyer, it is almost impossible to obtain such an identity.
Children represented by lawyers appear at immigration court hearings about 95% of the time, while children without lawyers appear about 33% of the time. Report of the U.S. Immigration Commission.
Over the past few years, thousands of children have been deported after failing to appear at immigration hearings. According to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Memorandum Reuters.
