Trump Administration Cuts Legal Aid for Unaccompanied Minors
The Trump administration has abruptly cut legal aid for unaccompanied immigrant children, endangering vulnerable minors at risk of trafficking and leaving them without necessary legal representation.
The Trump administration has unexpectedly terminated legal aid for unaccompanied immigrant children, instructing government-funded attorneys to cease all work immediately. Advocates have labelled this decision as shocking, warning that the removal of legal aid programmes puts vulnerable minors at greater risk of child trafficking, a concern emphasized by Trump and Republican officials during the 2024 election.
The "stop-work" orders, confirmed by multiple organisations including the Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) and the Acacia Center for Justice, affect approximately 26,000 unaccompanied minors relying on legal counsel.
Yliana Johansen-Méndez, ImmDef's chief program officer, expressed her disgust at the complete halt of services, particularly impacting children currently in government custody. ImmDef serves children facing various vulnerabilities, including those abused in their home countries or those who have been trafficked.
Failure to attend scheduled hearings may lead to immediate removal orders for clients, highlighting the urgency of legal representation. Lindsay Toczylowski, ImmDef's president and CEO, remarked that eliminating legal aid for children will generate chaos in immigration courts and undermine commitments to child safety.
Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice, emphasised that children at risk of trafficking deserve legal representatives to safeguard their rights. Despite the federal directive, ImmDef intends to continue advocating for its clients based on professional obligations to uphold their cases.
Many affected minors are currently under the custody of the office of refugee resettlement (ORR), having presented themselves at the border without parents. The absence of legal aid may lead to children appearing in court unaccompanied, risking their safety in an already precarious legal environment. Some may be forced back to dangerous situations in their home countries without adequate representation.
While this isn’t the first instance of the administration cutting legal aid, the swift action and its implications have alarmed advocates who are already witnessing the repercussions across the nation.
