Legal aid contract expires, thousands of unaccompanied migrant children in US face deportation risk

Immigrant advocacy groups warned that children entering the United States without documentation or legal guardianship could soon lose their right to legal representation, leading to increased deportation rates, after the federal contract providing these services expired on Friday.

Melissa Lopez, executive director of Estrella El Paso, said in a press conference earlier this week: "We don't know what will happen to these children next week. We don't know if they will have legal representation. The government has not yet identified who will take over this representation."

The expired contract previously paid about 100 legal groups nationwide to provide legal services to roughly 24,000 unaccompanied minors. It allowed these groups to enter government-funded shelters as part of the legal representation process. It remains unclear what will happen now that the contract has expired, or whether they will still be allowed access to their clients.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has not provided a reason for letting the contract expire. The US Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the care of unaccompanied children, did not respond to a request from AP for comment on their future policy.

The change comes as the Trump administration pursues a mass deportation campaign, partly based on accelerating court procedures to increase the number of deportations.

Organizations speaking at this week's press conference also alleged that the Trump administration stopped payments even before the contract expired, while demanding detailed information about their clients. Service providers said they could not ethically provide that information.

Michael Lukens, executive director of the Amica Center, said: "They are clearly trying to destroy the program by strangling the finances of non-profit organizations. We have seen layoffs and furloughs, and we will see more if these bills are not paid."

Several laws seek to protect unaccompanied children, including the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, which stipulates that the government should facilitate legal representation for children in deportation proceedings.

In addition to applying for asylum, unaccompanied children can also seek special immigrant status if they cannot return to their home country due to abuse or neglect.

Two Democratic members of the House from Pennsylvania, Chris Deluzio and Summer Lee, sent a letter to US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Acting Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement Angie Salazar earlier this week, requesting more details about the contract expiration. The letter specifically asked how the government would "ensure compliance with statutory provisions and court orders requiring unaccompanied children to receive legal services."

In a statement, Congresswoman Lee said: "Children, many of whom have fled violence and exploitation, should not be forced to appear in court alone without representation."