Over 24,000 unaccompanied migrant children in the US risk losing legal aid as federal contract expires, nonprofits warn of deportation crisis
More than 24,000 unaccompanied immigrant children facing deportation in the United States could lose access to legal representation after a federal contract funding nonprofit legal services expired on Friday, prompting warnings that thousands of vulnerable minors may be forced to navigate complex immigration proceedings alone.The contract’s expiration affects about 90 nonprofit organisations across the country that provide legal assistance to children who entered the US without a parent or legal guardian.The crisis has been exacerbated by the Trump administration’s refusal to reimburse legal service providers approximately $65 million for work they say has already been completed under the federal programme.
Nonprofits warn children will lose critical legal support
According to Los Angeles Times, Lindsay Toczylowski, chief executive officer and co-founder of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, said more than 1,500 unaccompanied children represented by her organisation in the Greater Los Angeles area could be affected.Other Los Angeles-based organisations expected to feel the impact include Public Counsel, the Central American Resource Center and the Immigration Center for Women and Children.“I’m thinking of clients I personally have represented over the years — trafficking victims, asylum seekers, children separated from their parents — and wondering what chance kids like them will have if no one is there to fight for them,” Toczylowski said.She added that lawyers often uncover abuse, document unlawful detention conditions and ensure children’s legal rights are protected.
Some organisations forced to shut programmes
Several nonprofit groups say they can no longer afford to continue representing unaccompanied children without federal funding.Melissa Lopez, whose nonprofit Estrella El Paso serves west Texas and New Mexico, said the government owes her organisation nearly $1 million.“We are not able to sustain this program without this contract,” Lopez said, adding that staff members working on the programme would have to be laid off after two decades of service.She described the region as a “legal desert,” noting that there are already too few attorneys to meet community needs.In New York, Meena Shah, managing director of legal services at The Door, said her organisation is owed about $2 million and warned that expecting children to represent themselves in immigration court was unrealistic.“It’s preposterous to think that a child would be able to self-represent,” Shah said.
Legal battle over funding continues
The dispute dates back to March 2025, when the US Department of Health and Human Services terminated its contract with the Acacia Center for Justice, which coordinates legal services through roughly 100 subcontracted organisations nationwide.A coalition of nonprofits subsequently filed a federal class-action lawsuit, arguing that ending the programme violated the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, which provides legal protections for unaccompanied migrant children.Although a federal judge in California ordered the administration in June 2025 to reinstate the contract, legal providers say the government later stopped paying invoices while demanding access to confidential client information, which they argue violates attorney-client privilege.A federal court hearing on the dispute is scheduled for August 6.
Advocates warn of consequences
Michael Lukens, executive director of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, accused the administration of undermining the legal aid programme by withholding payments.“They are clearly trying to destroy the program by grinding down the financial health of nonprofits,” Lukens said, warning that more layoffs and programme closures were likely if funding is not restored.Last month, Kids in Need of Defense announced it was ending its subcontract with the Acacia Center after accumulating more than $20 million in unpaid legal fees.Meanwhile, Democratic Representative Zoe Lofgren has reintroduced the Fair Day in Court for Kids Act, which would guarantee legal representation for unaccompanied children in immigration proceedings.Advocates argue the issue extends beyond immigration policy, saying legal representation is essential to ensuring due process and protecting children from exploitation.“When you take lawyers away from children, you do not just take away legal representation,” Toczylowski said. “You remove one of the few meaningful checks on government misconduct.”
