FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 6, 2025
CONTACT: press@acaciajustice.org
WASHINGTON –Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice, released the following statement thanking Senators Jon Ossoff and Mazie Hirono in leading a group of 32 Senators in a letter demanding that Health and Human Services and the Department of the Interior renew the Unaccompanied Children Program’s contract for legal services for children navigating the immigration system alone:
“We are grateful for the leadership of Senate champions defending the right of children who are navigating the immigration system alone to receive child-tailored legal orientations and a chance at representation as mandated under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2008 and Federal Regulation. Children who arrive in the U.S. unaccompanied by parents or legal guardians have often survived targeted violence, abuse, persecution, or trafficking. They face a multitude of challenges and threats to their safety and well-being, often while recovering from traumatic life events. Legal providers working with these children provide a critical safeguard in protecting them from further harm or exploitation.
“We join the Senators in urging the administration to ensure that the protection of critical legal services upholding the basic due process rights of unaccompanied children so that Acacia and our partners in the legal field – legal lifelines safeguarding the rights and well-being of children seeking safety – can continue our work without future disruption or delay.”
In February, the Trump administration issued a stop work order to organizations that provide legal services for unaccompanied children. Less than a week later, following public pressure, the order was rescinded.
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