FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 21, 2026
CONTACT: press@acaciajustice.org
Legal Providers, Former Judges, Faith Leaders Call Out Trump Administration’s Move to Strip Unaccompanied Children of Legal Counsel
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will effectively dismantle the program providing legal counsel for unaccompanied children beginning July 31, leaving tens of thousands of minors—some too young to speak for themselves—to navigate immigration court alone and face rapid deportation, legal experts and advocates warned today.
Without a lawyer, children win the right to stay in the U.S. less than 10% of the time; immigration judges are nearly 100 times less likely to grant relief to a child without counsel.
The deadline is compounded by the administration’s refusal to pay $65 million in overdue fees for counsel already provided to more than 20,000 unaccompanied minors since November 2025. The funding freeze has forced legal service providers to stop taking new clients. Kids in Need of Defense, one of the country’s most respected children’s legal defense organizations, gave 30 days’ notice on June 30 that it is severing its subcontract with Acacia after more than $20 million in overdue payments. Melissa Lopez, executive director of Estrella El Paso, said the organization faces closure after 40 years, having not been reimbursed for up to $765,000 in federal payments for services already provided.
The administration is also reportedly working to relocate unaccompanied children to states willing to enable rapid deportations back to the countries they fled. On July 16, a group of congressional members sent a letter demanding answers. Simultaneously, the government is holding the $65 million hostage unless Acacia provides attorney-client privileged information about its young clients, breaking legal and ethical norms.
“These children are not leverage in a political negotiation. They are human beings — many of whom fled violence, trafficking, and abuse — who have a legally and morally recognized right to have their cases heard with a lawyer by their side. Abandoning children to meet deportation targets is immoral. This must stop. These children deserve legal representation,” said Shaina Aber, Executive Director of Acacia Center for Justice.
Elizabeth Young, a former immigration judge, said, “During my time on the bench, I adjudicated hundreds of asylum applications. The life experiences of immigrants trying to make their new home in the United States were often heartbreaking. But none more so than the unaccompanied children who came through my court, many of whom were looking for a place to grow up where they didn’t have to live in fear of violence. Our courts are only credible when every person has an understanding of the proceedings and a meaningful opportunity to be heard before the government takes action that will permanently alter their life. When children are forced to navigate one of the most complex areas of law alone, that promise of fairness becomes little more than an illusion.”
Ana Devereaux, Senior Managing Attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, said, “Children are children, regardless of their nationality, and our law and our values require us to act in their best interest. But the government’s failure to provide long-term funding has made it challenging to sustain a legal program for children. We are the only legal services provider helping over 1,100 children in Michigan. If this funding ends now, the future for these children is uncertain.”
Katie, a member of Women of Welcome and sponsor of immigrant children, said, “I have worked with immigrants in my professional life and have a lot of immigrant friends, but seeing the journey through the eyes of these kids was very new. The little girl I am adopting has been through a lot of trauma, and I may never know what she has gone through. She is resilient and funny, but she is six, and she shouldn’t have to fight this system alone. This experience has not only deepened my faith, but I have learned more and more about how important the work of advocacy and loving people is. For these children, it is difficult to fight a system that isn’t built to protect them.”
Acacia, its network of legal service providers, former immigration judges, and child welfare advocates are calling on HHS to release the overdue funds and ensure unaccompanied children have legal protection beginning August 1.
For more information and resources, visit acaciajustice.org. To take action to protect kids, visit: tinyurl.com/protect-kids.
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Acacia Center for Justice expands meaningful access to justice and freedom for immigrants at risk of detention or deportation in partnership with an accountable and independent national network of immigrant legal service providers and community partners. Acacia Center for Justice’s reach and impact are unparalleled. The national nonprofit currently operates publicly funded programs and responsive collaborations through a network of over 130 legal service providers nationwide.
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