Representation for 20,000+ Unaccompanied Immigrant Children at Risk as Trump Administration Ends Contract with Legal Service Providers
A recording is available here.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 31, 2026
CONTACT: press@acaciajustice.org
WASHINGTON —Today, the Trump administration ended the federal contract with Acacia Center for Justice, effectively dismantling the nationwide network of nearly 100 legal service providers that have provided counsel to more than 20,000 unaccompanied immigrant children.
“Children who have fled violence, trafficking, and abuse will wake up tomorrow without the legal support they were promised. They won’t know the legal rights they may be entitled to without a lawyer by their side. What they will know is that there is an administration in power that is doing everything it can to expedite their deportation. And we will do everything we can to protect them. Today is a somber day, but we don’t want to give up hope for tomorrow because we will keep fighting for these children,” said Shaina Aber, Executive Director of Acacia Center for Justice.
Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, who was unable to attend today’s press call, shared a statement. “Tomorrow, children in federal custody will wake up without access to a lawyer because the Trump administration refused to pay the bills it owed to the people doing the work. Kids are going to walk into immigration courtrooms to face a trained government attorney across the aisle from them,” he noted in his statement. “A six-year-old girl, two ten-year-old girls, young teenagers — all representing themselves. That is the reality this administration is creating. To the attorneys and advocates doing this work: you are, in many cases, the only thing standing between a child and a plane out of the country. The Trump administration is trying to make you the villain in a story of its own making. You are not the villain. You are the last line of defense for these children.”
The administration’s decision to end this contract goes against a nearly two decade precedent in which Republicans and Democrats alike supported legal assistance for the most vulnerable children who came to the United States alone. Without legal representation, fewer than 1% of immigrant children are granted immigration relief. These children, some too young to speak for themselves, will be forced to face trained government attorneys by themselves, in a language they may not speak, in a system they cannot navigate without help. Even children with strong cases will not know what forms of relief they qualify for, how to apply, or how to gather the evidence needed to make their case. For unaccompanied children who arrive without parents and often without any support system, the consequences will be immediate and severe.
For children who are currently in detention centers, without access to their lawyers or advocates, no one will be able to ensure they are protected, healthy, and safe.
Erin Maxwell, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with nearly 20 years of experience working with immigrant children and a co-director of the Detained Immigrant Children’s Project at Legal Services for Children, has seen firsthand what independent advocates mean for children in government custody. Her organization provides legal and social work services to unaccompanied children detained in ORR facilities.
“A 10-year-old child does not understand legal language. A 10-year-old child developmentally cannot comprehend the gravity of what was being shared in that courtroom. It was painful to watch these children alone in a courtroom, and to know that when this vital funding ends, there will be so many more children in their situation,” said Erin Maxwell, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Co-Director, Detained Immigrant Children’s Project, Legal Services for Children. “Never, in my almost 20 years of experience, have I seen this kind of blatant attack on children’s well being. … Without their attorneys, children and youth left with complex, persistent trauma, will not only lose access to due process, but will not have the teams of supportive adults looking out for their legal and psychosocial needs. I believe that without the support, children will be at greater risk of trafficking and exploitation and potential mental health conditions.”
Dr. C. Nicholas Cuneo, an academic hospitalist at Johns Hopkins Hospital and founding Executive Director of the HEAL Refugee Health and Asylum Collaborative, has treated immigrant survivors of torture and trauma and understands what the loss of trusted advocates means for children who have already experienced significant harm.
“Legal representation for unaccompanied children is not merely an administrative service. It is a health intervention. Many of these young people have already survived violence, separation, dangerous journeys, and detention, and trauma is cumulative. A trusted attorney can buffer that harm, explaining an incomprehensible process, providing consistency and safety, protecting a child’s interests, and connecting them to healthcare, school, housing, and other essential support. Abruptly severing that relationship can not only reactivate the abandonment and powerlessness from which children are trying to recover, it can cause direct mental health injury,” said Dr. C. Nicholas Cuneo, Academic Hospitalist, Johns Hopkins Hospital and Founding Executive Director, HEAL Refugee Health and Asylum Collaborative.
Brian Chavez, a former unaccompanied child who now works as a paralegal at Immigrant Defenders Law Center, knows firsthand what legal representation meant for his own survival and what its absence means for the children he works with today.
“I know how important legal representation is because I lived it. My attorneys did more than provide legal advice. They helped me understand the system, connect me to resources, and fight for my future. Without legal representation, I likely would not have obtained legal status. I likely would have been deported. And honestly, if I had been forced to return to Mexico, I do not believe I would be alive today. These children are not criminals. They are children seeking safety. They deserve dignity, protection, and a fair chance to be heard. For many of them, an attorney can be the difference between fear and hope, separation and reunification or even life and death,” said Brian Chavez, Paralegal, Immigrant Defenders Law Center and former unaccompanied child.
Jacqueline Guesno, a partner at HKM Employment Attorneys and foster parent to two former unaccompanied children, knows this issue from both sides of the courtroom and from her own home. Her daughters were identified for foster placement precisely because a lawyer was in the shelter, recognized the abuse and trafficking they had survived, and connected them to the protections they needed.
“If a lawyer was not in that shelter talking to them, trying to understand their trauma and what they had been through, they would have never been identified for the foster care program. Never been identified for placement with our family. Our daughters started high school as freshmen and completed high school. They are now in community college and have started their own cleaning business. We owe that to the assistance of counsel,” said Jacqueline Guesno, Partner, HKM Employment Attorneys and Foster Parent to Former Unaccompanied Children.
Today’s deadline compounds an existing crisis. HHS has withheld more than $65 million in bipartisan, congressionally appropriated funding for legal services already provided to more than 20,000 unaccompanied children since November 2025, forcing providers to stop taking new clients and pushing several organizations toward closure. While the contract expires today, HHS and the administration remain obligated to honor their commitment to provide legal services for unaccompanied children, and those services must be provided by organizations with the expertise to help vulnerable children navigate the complexities of our immigration system.
Take action to defend the rights of unaccompanied children here.
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FACES BEHIND THE NUMBERS: STORIES OF UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN AT RISK
Over the past nine days, Acacia Center for Justice shared stories of unaccompanied children from across its nationwide network to illustrate what is at stake as this contract ends and the critical role legal representation plays in protecting children’s rights and futures. These stories are below.
- A deaf, non-verbal, and autistic child arrived in the United States after years of isolation, trauma, and barriers to education. During his journey to the U.S., the child was kidnapped and held for ransom for nearly a year before his mother was able to secure his escape. After reaching safety and living in the U.S. for years, his own family didn’t know he qualified for immigration relief. It took legal advocates to identify his case, fight for it, and win. Today, he is attending school and building a future that once seemed out of reach. Without an attorney, he may never have applied for the protections available to him and could have faced deportation to the same conditions he left.
- A teenager spent years surviving abuse, exploitation, and a dangerous living situation. When she finally connected with legal services, her attorneys did more than represent her in court: they filed a police report, connected her to support services, secured her work authorization, and won her the protections that let her leave. Today, she has her GED and is looking toward college. Without a lawyer, she may have remained trapped, eligible for protection under the law, but with no way to reach it.
- A 12-year old child arrived in the United States after surviving years of labor trafficking, abuse, and exploitation that began when she was five. She endured repeated abuse from the people who should have protected her. She fled in search of safety and stability, and legal advocates are now helping her pursue protections that would allow her to remain in the U.S. and heal from her past trafficking and abuse. Without an attorney to advocate for her, she will likely be deported and be forced to return to the dangers she escaped.
- Another teenager arrived in the United States and was unable to speak after enduring years of trauma. She would sit silently with her attorney, picking at her skin with nervous ticks because of extreme discomfort and anxiety. After meeting regularly, they built rapport, and the teen disclosed her history of parental abandonment and neglect, and sexual abuse in her home country. She is now pursuing legal protections that offer a path toward a bright future. Her case is ongoing in both family and immigration court. Without legal representation, she will face significant obstacles in meeting court requirements and navigating the complex legal process to access the protections available to her.
- Two siblings were detained by ICE while on their way to work, despite having pending asylum cases and valid work authorization, leaving them and their family terrified. They remained in custody at a detention center for several weeks and were denied access to basic necessities. Their attorney fought relentlessly for their release, and both siblings were ultimately freed. Their experience underscores the significant barriers immigrant youth continue to face and the critical role legal representation plays in protecting their rights, dignity, and well-being amid increasing barriers for immigrants under the Trump administration.
- A young woman on the verge of turning 18 secured critical protections after overcoming years of severe trauma, abuse, and exploitation. She was repeatedly sexually abused by family members starting at the age of 8. She developed an alcohol dependency by the time she was 10 after a relative encouraged her to drink as a way to cope with her trauma. At 15, she was sent to the U.S. to work and help support her family, but soon experienced severe mental health challenges, including repeated hospitalizations and a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. Through months of conversations, her legal and social services team gained her trust and heard her story just in time to file for relief the day before she turned 18. This was the first time she shared the full extent of her abuse. With legal representation, she was able to successfully win critical legal protections while accessing the support and stability she needed. She is now receiving treatment, pursuing asylum, applying for a work permit, and taking important steps toward building a safer, more secure future.
- A 17-year-old facing imminent deportation was given a second chance to tell his story after legal advocates intervened at a critical moment. While detained and facing a removal order, his attorney successfully reopened his case and filed an asylum application. The removal order was issued after he missed a court hearing because he relied on an adult relative who was too afraid to take him to court. Today, his asylum application is pending, and he can finally exercise his right to due process and have his case heard. Without legal representation, many children lose the opportunity to seek protections because they lack the support needed to navigate a complex immigration system. Children can miss hearings because of factors beyond their control, including language barriers, address changes, misinformation, or dependence on adults to manage court communications.
- An 18-year-old asylum seeker is caught in a legal battle that could determine where and how his case is heard. Even though his application was submitted and is pending before the asylum office, an immigration judge is claiming jurisdiction over his case and has twice rejected efforts to end immigration court proceedings. His attorney has spent months fighting to protect his rights and ensure his case is heard through the process he is entitled to under the law. Without legal representation, he will be left to navigate a complex legal dispute on his own while facing a trained government attorney in court. The result will likely be his imminent deportation.
- A 2-year-old girl from Central America came to the US with her mother (who was not yet an adult at the time) fleeing an abusive home and gang violence. The legal team representing the child and her mother have filed asylum applications for both of them. Currently, they are working through the state court system to obtain Special Immigrant Juvenile status given the abuse they suffered. The child’s Notice to Appear has not yet been filed to initiate her removal proceedings, where she will be expected to appear in Immigration Court to defend against deportation. Her legal service provider intends to be by her side at that hearing, even though they have not received the government funding to do so because it would be unconscionable for a 2-year-old to be alone in court.
- Two sisters, ages 14 and 15, from Central America, currently live in Texas with their grandmother. A pro bono attorney is representing them in a state court proceeding that may enable them to pursue Special Immigrant Juvenile status, a form of legal protection for children who are neglected, abandoned or abused, while a legal service provider is handling the sisters’ asylum applications and immigration court proceedings. These cases are ongoing, yet both the direct representation and pro bono engagement for these clients has been defunded. Both girls will be expected to appear in the Houston Immigration Court to defend themselves against deportation, and if their legal service provider is not able to accompany them and present their cases to the judge, they will likely be deported. If that happens, they will be separated from their loving grandmother who they have lived with for the past four years, and sent back to the very dangers from which they fled.
- An Afghan minor spent six months in a short-term detention facility before receiving legal support at a pivotal moment in his case. With this help, he was placed into local long-term foster care and ultimately granted asylum, opening the door to safety and stability. His school guidance counselor later connected him with a local family willing to provide him a loving home, and today, he is on track to graduate with the certainty that he can live, study, and work in the United States. His future, and the opportunities ahead of him, were only made possible through critical legal representation.
- A pregnant minor was detained by immigration authorities during a routine fingerprinting appointment. She had previously received an order of removal for missing an immigration hearing while pregnant. Despite informing officials she was 36 weeks pregnant and couldn’t fly, authorities placed her on two flights and transferred her hundreds of miles away to a detention facility in Miami just weeks before giving birth. She faced an immediate threat of deportation before her case could be fully heard, raising the risk she could be separated from her newborn. Her legal team secured an emergency stay that stopped her removal just in time, and they continue fighting her case today. Without legal representation, this young mother and her baby could have been deported before they ever had a meaningful opportunity to present their case and remain together as a family.
- A brother and sister, ages 9 and 15, are rebuilding their lives in the U.S. with their mother after their father abandoned them. Because of their circumstances, they qualified for critical protections that could help secure a stable future. With the support of pro bono legal representation, they obtained a state court order and filed visa applications; they are currently pending. An asylum application was also filed for the younger child, and the family is waiting for his first Immigration Court hearing. Legal services and social workers support the entire family, including specialized help for the daughter, who has special needs. Because the children’s immigration cases are still pending, continued legal representation is critical to protect their rights, keep them together, and help them build safe, stable futures.
- A young immigrant nearly lost his chance at permanent legal status due to conflicting birth records that listed different birth years and mothers’ names. As a result, his initial petition was denied and could have permanently blocked his path to safety and stability. With his future hanging in the balance, his legal team worked tirelessly to gather critical evidence—including school records, affidavits, dental imaging, and hand scans—to prove his age and eligibility. Their advocacy ultimately persuaded the appeals office to withdraw the denial and order a new review, paving the way for a favorable outcome. Without legal advocacy, children facing complex immigration challenges can be denied protection based on circumstances beyond their control.
- A teen girl arrived in the United States alone, hoping to reunite with her mother and find safety. After being processed as an unaccompanied minor through the Office of Refugee Resettlement, she was later reunited with her mother. With the help of legal advocates, she learned she qualified for critical protection because her father abandoned her when she was just 2-years-old. Advocates helped her mother obtain legal custody and secure the legal protections needed to safeguard her daughter’s future. The girl’s petition was approved, and she no longer faced the threat of being deported imminently. But the fight wasn’t over. Because of severe immigration backlogs, she waited nearly five years for the opportunity to apply for permanent residency. During those years, she moved to a different state. Thanks to a network of dedicated legal advocates who coordinated her case across organizations and states, she continued to receive free representation and support. Just before her eighteenth birthday, she applied for and received her green card – a life-changing milestone that transformed years of instability and waiting into security, opportunity, and hope for the future.
- A teenage boy appeared in immigration court alone for his fourth hearing, with no attorney and no clear understanding of the protections available to him. Like thousands of children forced to navigate the immigration system on their own, he was at severe risk of deportation. Without legal representation, fewer than 1% of immigrant children are granted immigration relief. Through the Friend of the Court docket, legal service providers review incoming cases and identify children who may qualify for legal protections. During this process, a legal advocate recognized that he appeared eligible for asylum. Although the judge was prepared to move forward with what could have been the boy’s final hearing, the attorney successfully requested additional time so he could pursue the asylum claim. This teenager now has a legal team representing him and they are working to file the necessary applications.
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