FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 24, 2025
CONTACT: press@acaciajustice.org
WASHINGTON – On Friday, March 21, the Acacia Center for Justice received a notice of near-total termination for the Unaccompanied Children Program. The organization’s network of more than 100 legal service providers released the following statement:
“Through the Unaccompanied Children Program, CGRS has for over a decade provided technical assistance and training to advocates representing vulnerable kids seeking refuge from persecution and torture,” said Christine Lin, Director of Training and Technical Assistance at the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS). “We have consulted on thousands of cases involving children who have survived unimaginable trauma in their home countries, only to be thrust into a complex and adversarial immigration system that forces them to plead their case alone, as a government lawyer fights for their deportation. The Unaccompanied Children Program has provided a lifeline to these children, ensuring that their rights are respected and that they are protected from abuse and exploitation as they navigate the legal process. Abandoning them while fast-tracking their deportation cases will lead to mass due process violations and wrongful denials of protection. In cases with life-or-death stakes, this will mean children being deported to countries where they face grave harm. We urge the administration to reverse this decision and immediately restore legal services for unaccompanied children.”
“This brazen, heartless act endangers children’s lives,” said Ashley Harrington, RMIAN Children’s Program Managing Attorney. “RMIAN represents child survivors of trafficking, abuse and trauma, including children as young as two-years-old. Children cannot be expected to navigate the harsh and complicated immigration legal system without an attorney. This administration wants to force us to abandon them to face ICE and the immigration courts alone. But we will continue to stand in solidarity with these children and fight to protect their rights to legal representation.”
“Unaccompanied immigrant children arrive in the United States oftentimes fleeing violence, trafficking, and persecution.” said Paula Fitzgerald, Executive Director of Ayuda. “Without legal representation, these children are forced to navigate a complex immigration system alone, with life-altering consequences. Government funding for their legal representation is not just an investment in justice—it’s a moral imperative that ensures due process and protects our most vulnerable from further harm.”
“No child should be forced to represent themselves in court–especially young children who have been subject to violence, abuse and exploitation. This termination is an affront to our nation’s longstanding commitment to justice and equality, denying vulnerable children in U.S. custody with a basic right enshrined in the U.S. Constitution,” said Meredith Fortin, CWS Director of Asylum and Legal Services.
“Forcing a child to navigate the complexities of the immigration system alone violates our core values of due process, a fair day in court, and caring for the most vulnerable among us,” said Michele Garnett McKenzie, Interim Co-Executive Director at The Advocates for Human Rights. “When it comes to children facing the legal system, representation is not a privilege; it is a fundamental human right. No child should be expected to defend themselves in a system designed for trained attorneys.”
“The stakes of removal proceedings in immigration court are incredibly high. They can mean the difference between safety and violence, between stability and family separation, and sometimes even between life and death. Immigration law is also incredibly complicated. The chances of anyone of any age being successful in their case in immigration court are much higher if they are represented by counsel,” said Kayley Bebber, Directing Attorney at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. “Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) has proudly provided direct legal representation to immigrant children and youth in Washington State for over 40 years. The Unaccompanied Children Program expanded our capacity to serve more children and youth and to take their cases on a universal representation basis, which closely aligns with our mission. The idea that children and youth would have their legal representation taken away from them at a time when they have become the focus of increased immigration enforcement and that children as young as toddlers and children who have experienced trafficking and severe trauma will now be expected to represent themselves is an outrage and contrary to NWIRP’s values as an organization. We need to come together to protect access to legal representation for unaccompanied children and youth in Washington State and across the country.”
“ICWC represents over 700 unaccompanied children—some as young as two years old—through the Unaccompanied Children Program. Denying these vulnerable children access to competent legal counsel effectively deprives them of a fair opportunity to be heard in court and to seek justice,” said Suzanne McCormick, Executive Director at the Immigration Center for Women and Children (ICWC). “In doing so, the government disregards the fundamental rights of those who need protection the most, further perpetuating a cycle of harm and neglect. This termination of essential legal services is a step backward in safeguarding the rights and dignity of children and should be urgently reversed.”
“Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy currently has more than 300 active cases affected by this funding cut impacting children who have suffered abuse, neglect or abandonment,” said Kara Moskowitz, Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy. “Without legal representation, these vulnerable children face insurmountable barriers to securing safety and stability. Terminating the Unaccompanied Children Program will leave hundreds of children defenseless in a complex legal system that was never designed for them to navigate alone. This decision is not just a bureaucratic shift—it is a direct attack on children’s rights and well-being.”
“The Unaccompanied Children Program is a lifeline to immigrant children with compounding vulnerabilities, many of whom have experienced severe trauma in their home countries and during their journeys to the United States,” said Emily Kyle, Supervising Attorney at the Central American Resource Center of Los Angeles (CARECEN-LA). “By cutting off these critical services, these children will be forced to navigate a complex and adversarial legal system alone. This is a cruel and unacceptable violation of basic due process that goes against our nation’s core values. CARECEN stands with immigrant children and remains committed to ensuring that their fundamental human rights are upheld and respected.”
“This notice is part of a larger plan to completely dismantle legal access and due process for children, so they abandon their claims and return to harm,” said Mary Meg McCarthy, executive director, National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC). “NIJC legal staff are the first point of contact for children in Illinois and Indiana to understand the court process, our immigration system, and their rights. Without our services, these children would otherwise face deportation proceedings alone, with a federal immigration prosecutor actively advocating for their return to the dangers they fled.”
“By terminating this contract, the U.S. government is violating legal protections for immigrant children and forcing them to fight their immigration cases alone,” said Roxana Avila-Cimpeanu, Deputy Director at the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project. “Without the UCP funding for legal advocacy, children, no matter their age, will be forced to represent themselves in immigration court. Already, we are seeing the government move for the expedited removal of unrepresented children. These services are critical not only as a matter of fundamental fairness – children should not be asked to stand up in court alone against a trained government attorney – but also for protecting children from trafficking, abuse, and exploitation and for helping immigration courts run more efficiently. The children who will be impacted by this are among the most vulnerable – children who are alone in the United States, detained by the government, separated from their loved ones, and survivors of abandonment, abuse, and neglect. To strip away legal services for them while claiming to care about the safety of children is inhumane.”
“Cutting funding for legal representation of unaccompanied immigrant children is a cruel and unjust decision that puts the lives of vulnerable children at risk,” said Anna Gallagher, Executive Director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., (CLINIC). “Many of these children have fled violence, trafficking, and persecution, only to face an immigration system that is complex and unforgiving. Expecting children to face this system alone, if they cannot afford private counsel, strips them of due process and their fundamental human rights. Catholic social teaching calls us to protect the dignity and sanctity of every human life, especially that of children. Our moral and legal responsibility is to provide them with safety, not subject them to further harm or exploitation. CLINIC urges the administration to restore this funding immediately and to prioritize the protection of vulnerable children, which has long-held bipartisan congressional support.”
“The loss of funding for our pro bono work is heartbreaking—especially when our youngest respondent is just 11 months old,” said Cristel Martinez, Director of MNM Law Offices (“MNM”). “We built MNM on the belief that no child should ever navigate this system without a voice, without representation. We urge decision-makers: do not take this critical funding away. The futures of countless children depend on it.”
“It has been a long-held belief that children deserve the highest level of protections and care and this should extend to all children facing legal proceedings – especially those that have often endured violence, trauma, and abandonment.” said Nicole Leon, Executive Director of Florida Immigration Law and Justice Center (FILJC). “The loss of funding for legal programs that afford children legal representation in an already complex and unforgiving immigration legal system shows a wanton disregard for the most vulnerable and the idea that children should be given our utmost protections.”
“Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project is devastated by the termination of the Unaccompanied Children Program (UCP),” said Kimberley Plotnik, Program Director of Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project (Esperanza). “Around the country, 26,000 children are supported by UCP – 90 of them are our children. This vulnerable population deserves our protection, our compassion, and the opportunity to present their cases in immigration court. The stakes are incredibly high for these children. Without legal support they will likely face immigration court alone, with little chance of successfully defending themselves, and will likely be ordered removed. Cutting off this essential support to them is intolerable.”
“This is the largest attack on immigrant children in Michigan since we faced the family separation crisis in 2018,” said Susan Reed, Director of the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. “Not only will 800 vulnerable children in Michigan face losing their dedicated lawyers, but we are rolling back decades of progress on protecting the rights of immigrant children. Children with representation are more likely to win their cases and unrepresented children tend to lose, so this action will change the course of our clients’ whole lives.”
“Unaccompanied children endured perilous and traumatic journeys fleeing violence, and they deserve our care and protection,” said Cathy Sakimura, Executive Director of Legal Services for Children. “Children who are separated from their parents cannot represent themselves in court and need advocates to help them navigate the process and secure a safe home with a family member or other guardian. Ensuring that children have safe and stable homes and adult allies to advocate for their needs is an obligation that we all share.”
“All children, no matter their background or who they are, deserve safety, security, and dignity,” said Bryant Garcia, Acting Executive Director, La Esperanza, Inc. “The termination of the Unaccompanied Children Program risks the safety and security of thousands of migrant children throughout the country by forcing them to navigate a complex legal system alone and with no support. With this action, we tell these children that they are undeserving of safety and security and thus strip them of their dignity. Delaware is a small state but has a significant population of migrant children that face many challenges. Our legal representation has been a lifeline for these children especially in rural communities where resources are scarce. If our children don’t have proper legal support, the risks they face grow exponentially. Despite these heartless efforts, La Esperanza is committed to stand for and with Delaware’s children”
“In a world where basic legal protections for immigrants have been abandoned, ending essential legal services for unaccompanied immigrant children, who will now be thrown into court proceedings completely alone, makes a mockery of the term ‘justice’, said Gladis Molina Alt, Executive Director for the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights. No proceeding is fair when a child is unrepresented. As the federally appointed best-interests Child Advocates for the most vulnerable children in custody, our role cannot replace independent attorneys representing the children’s legal interests. We urge that the Trump Administration restore critical legal services for every child in custody and call on Congress to demand that the Administration restore services previously approved by bipartisan Congresses.”
“Navigating the immigration process is daunting for anyone – let alone a child. It is unconscionable to expect a child who has experienced trauma to navigate this complex system alone. Children deserve and need special protection and care,” said Jennifer Anzardo Valdes, Director for Children’s Legal Services at the International Rescue Committee (IRC). “The IRC represents over 500 children, some as young as 18 months old, who have endured unimaginable hardships in their home countries, only to face a complex and adversarial immigration system alone. For these children, legal representation is more than a right; it is often the difference between safety and danger, between stability and uncertainty. All children deserve a fair chance. That starts by having someone at their side who will advocate for them. Terminating this contract strips vulnerable children of their chance at justice and protection. We urge the Trump administration to reverse this decision, maintain existing protections for unaccompanied children from trafficking, exploitation, and other abuse and to ensure the fair consideration of their requests for asylum and other humanitarian protections so that all children have the legal support they desperately need and deserve.”
“Expecting children, including toddlers and babies, to represent themselves in life-or-death immigration proceedings is beyond absurd,” said Jojo Annobil, CEO of Immigrant Justice Corps. “These children have fled violence, persecution, and trafficking. Forcing them to face government prosecutors without legal representation is not only cruel; it undermines the integrity of our immigration system, fuels chaos, and will lead to family separation. When our immigration system breaks down like this, our communities suffer, becoming less safe, less stable, and less prosperous. We urge leaders at all levels to fight for the restoration of the Unaccompanied Children Program so that no child is left to navigate the immigration system alone.”
“The termination of federal funding for legal representation for unaccompanied immigrant children is not only morally wrong but also detrimental to the fundamental principles of justice and human rights and ignores the needs of children in favor of political expediency,” said Erin McKenney, Executive Director of Just Neighbors. “These children, often fleeing violence, poverty, and persecution in their home countries, deserve due process and protection under U.S. law.
“Americans for Immigrant Justice has represented thousands of vulnerable unaccompanied minors in their immigration proceedings and in doing so, our legal teams have saved countless children’s lives and helped secure their futures. Without the assistance of legal counsel, children who are abused, abandoned, and neglected, persecuted, or tortured will be subjected to unimaginable harm, as they cannot realistically navigate the complexities of immigration-related litigation on their own,” said Sui Chung, Executive Director, Americans for Immigrant Justice. “Following the termination of this government contract, they will not be assured due process while seeking the protections to which they may be entitled under United States and international law. If the U.S. does not help children in desperate need of our protection, then we are abandoning our commitment to upholding human rights.”
“Defunding immigration legal services for unaccompanied minors will have severe negative consequences, leaving vulnerable children at heightened risk of exploitation, abuse, and deportation without due process,” said Karen Murtagh, Executive Director of Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York. These children, often fleeing violence or poverty in their home countries, rely on legal representation to navigate a complex immigration system that is difficult to navigate even with professional guidance. Without access to legal counsel, unaccompanied minors face a much higher likelihood of being denied asylum, being unable to pursue special immigrant juvenile status or facing expedited removal, despite being eligible for protections under U.S. law. In the long run, defunding these critical services not only undermines the fairness and integrity of the immigration system, but also jeopardizes the safety and well-being of children who are already at risk. America has always been a beacon to the world for those whose human rights are threatened; turning a blind end to their plight, especially children, undercuts the values on which our country was founded. We can and should be better than this.”
“The termination of the Unaccompanied Children Program puts these children, plus thousands more nationwide, in an extremely vulnerable situation,” said Dr. Jordan Golin, President and CEO of JFCS Pittsburgh. “Many of the children served through these programs have been victims of severe abuse and neglect, and there are legal pathways available to them to remain in the United States. In just the last year, JFCS Pittsburgh has provided services to over 650 unaccompanied children through Know Your Rights presentations and legal screenings, as well as legal representation for at least 50 youth. This program is vital to protecting these children and ensuring they receive proper care in the shelters. Without legal representation, already vulnerable children will be left to fend for themselves, leading to even greater harm. JFCS urges the federal government to restore this program and funding to continue to protect children who have already faced unimaginable circumstances.”
“Children and teenagers who arrive in our country alone and looking for a better future deserve the full protection of the law, including access to legal support,” said Kelsey Louie, CEO of The Door. “These efforts serve only to perpetuate fear, harm, and suffering, not only for the young people seeking refuge but for our society as a whole. We call on the administration to focus on solutions that promote justice, dignity, and respect for all people, especially the most vulnerable among us. The pursuit of justice should not be negotiable.”
“This administration should be ashamed of its callous decision to strip vulnerable children of due process protections,” said Cathryn Miller-Wilson, Executive Director of HIAS Pennsylvania. “No child should have to navigate a complex legal system alone. For over a decade, the Unaccompanied Children’s Program has allowed HIAS Pennsylvania the resources to defend the rights of immigrant youth like a sex trafficked 11-year old, an abandoned 17-year old non-verbal autistic youth, Afghan girls who have finally achieved the dreams of education and freedom in the U.S., children of police officers who were threatened because of their parents’ jobs, and a 5-year old escaping the brutality of gang violence. We were expecting to take on a new foster care client this week whom the government has designated a trafficking victim, but now she may be left without a lawyer. Termination of direct representation under the Unaccompanied Children’s Program deprives these children of a fair opportunity to seek safety under the law and leaves them vulnerable to continued harm and abuse. We urge this administration to reverse its decision and immediately restore life-saving legal services for unaccompanied children. Failure to do so is not just an injustice to these defenseless youth, but a sign of a much deeper moral failure.”
“Ending legal services for minor children who are detained by immigration is horrifying,” said Laura Smith, Executive Director of Children’s Legal Center. “This administration has claimed to want to prosecute traffickers and criminals but instead leaves victimized children in detention without access to their attorneys as required by the TVPRA. The administration’s actions are both a violation of a law passed by Congress and are morally reprehensible. The United States can no longer be considered a great country if the government actively victimizes, traumatizes and jails minor children.”
“The 377 children we represent under the terminated contract live in communities throughout the Mid-South, and they come here seeking protection from human trafficking, sexual violence, child abuse, abandonment, and other extreme harm in their home countries,” said Sally M. Joyner, Legal Director of Mid-South Immigration Advocates. “We serve as a lifeline for some of the world’s most vulnerable kids who have found safety in our communities. These children have a human right to seek protection under our laws. If the government wants immigrants to go through legal channels, cutting off children’s access to counsel is not the way to support the rule of law,” Ms. Joyner explained. “It’s not an exaggeration to say that the government’s action will result in unnecessary suffering. Kids who are already integrated into our schools and churches will be deported back to harm and possibly death, even though they qualify for legal status here.”
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