Trump agency reverses ending legal aid for migrant children

Days after telling legal groups that help migrant children who arrive in America alone — some so young they are in diapers or their feet dangle from their chairs in court — that they must stop their work, the federal government reversed itself.

The Trump administration told the groups Friday that they can resume providing legal services to tens of thousands of unaccompanied children.

The notice came after the government on Feb. 18 suspended the program that provides legal representation to children who have arrived in the United States across the border with Mexico without parents or legal guardians. Several organizations that offer assistance to migrant children had criticized the measure and said at the time that the minors were at risk.

“The rescission of the stop work order impacting the Unaccompanied Children Program is unequivocally good news,” said Roxana Avila-Cimpeanu, deputy director of the Florence Immigration and Refugee Rights Project in Arizona, which provides services to migrant children. “However, we are clear-eyed that this is not the last threat to funding for legal services for detained immigrant children, and we will remain vigilant in protecting the rights of immigrant children here in Arizona.”

The Friday notice from the U.S. Department of Interior obtained by The Associated Press does not explain the Trump administration decision to reinstate the program. It states that it “cancels” the order to halt legal services to migrant children.

Shaina Aber, executive director of Acacia Center for Justice, said that in less than 48 hours, members of the public sent more than 15,000 letters to Congress demanding resumption of the program.

“We are incredibly grateful for our community who spoke out vehemently in support of the Unaccompanied Children Program and demanded that these services be restored. It is thanks to them and all members of the public who expressed outrage that this stop work order has been rescinded,” Avila-Cimpeanu said.

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A $200 million contract allows Acacia and its subcontractors to provide legal representation to about 26,000 children and legal education to another 100,000 more.

The program is funded by a five-year contract, but the government can decide at the end of each year if it renews it or not. The deadline for this year’s decision is in March.

Michael Lukens, executive director of Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, one of the subcontractors, said that despite the reversal he is still concerned.

He said if the stop-work order had remained in place, it would have left kids across the country without due process or protection.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2008 created special protections for children who arrive alone in the U.S. The law said the government should facilitate legal representation for the children put into deportation proceedings, though it did not mandate every child have a lawyer.

Unaccompanied children under the age of 18 can request asylum, juvenile immigration status, or visas for victims of sexual exploitation.