FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 21, 2025
CONTACT: press@acaciajustice.org
WASHINGTON – On Friday, February 21, 2025, the Acacia Center for Justice received notice that it can immediately resume work providing representation and legal access services to unaccompanied children. Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice, issued the following response:
“Children who arrive in the U.S. unaccompanied by parents or legal guardians often have survived targeted violence, abuse, persecution, or trafficking. It is unconscionable to think that they should be forced to represent themselves in immigration court against a trained government attorney in an adversarial hearing before a judge, without even a child-friendly orientation or understanding of their legal options.
“We welcome the news that the stop-work order on Acacia’s Unaccompanied Children Program has been lifted. We will continue working alongside the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that these critical services upholding the basic due process rights of vulnerable children are fully restored and our partners in the legal field – legal lifelines safeguarding the rights and well-being of children seeking safety – can resume their work without future disruption or delay.
“We are grateful for our dedicated partners, advocates, and community members across the country who raised their voices and demanded that these protections defending unaccompanied kids be restored. In less than 48 hours, members of the public sent more than 15,000 letters to Congress demanding our vital work be restored. However, with this stop-work order lift, our work is far from over – we are in a critical moment to ensure that no child is forced to navigate our immigration system alone.”
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