On March 26th, 2025, the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, Immigrant Defenders Law Center, and Justice Action Center filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Health & Human Services (HSS) and other federal departments after they eliminated legal representation for unaccompanied children, who often flee their home countries alone due to persecution, trafficking, and physical or sexual abuse.
Our plaintiffs are nonprofit legal service providers from across the country who meet with unaccompanied children within days of their arrival in the U.S. to provide Know Your Rights presentations and legal screenings. Using puppets and cartoons, they help children as young as toddlers understand what it means to be in immigration removal proceedings and represent them in immigration court and applications for affirmative relief, advocating for the well-being and care of each child throughout the process.
The Trump administration’s termination puts 26,000 children at risk of losing their attorneys, and tens of thousands of others will not get any legal assistance, which is a clear violation of federal law under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). Congress has expressly recognized the unique vulnerability of unaccompanied children and has already appropriated funds for the Unaccompanied Children Program through September 30, 2027, which the Trump administration undermines in terminating unaccompanied children’s right to legal counsel. Without these programs, immigrant children and babies will lose legal representation, leading to deportations and denials of relief without due process, on top of causing chaos and delays in the immigration system.
The lawsuit aims to restore immediate access to these essential programs cancelled by the government, ensuring that unaccompanied immigrant children receive the legal representation and support that is their right.
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