Congress must act to stop unlawful freeze of programs that help children navigate the U.S. immigration system
Statement of National Immigrant Justice Center Executive Director Mary Meg McCarthy:
"Today, the Trump administration abruptly cut funding for lawyers working with unaccompanied immigrant children. Mirroring mass firings and funding cuts of essential programs and agencies across the U.S. government, this action will threaten to unlawfully deprive approximately 26,000 children nationwide of their legal representation, including about 500 children the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) represents in Illinois and Indiana.
"The Trump administration continues to choose politics over the rule of law and cruelty over humane treatment of children. This denial of congressionally appropriated funding violates federal law. Without funding for immigration lawyers, children who arrive in the United States alone will not have access to due process to navigate this country’s punitive and complex immigration system.
"Decades ago, Congress passed the bipartisan Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) that recognized the unique vulnerability of children who travel alone to seek protection in the United States. The TVPRA codified the federal government’s obligation to ensure these children have legal representation so they do not face the risk of deportation without due process. Most unaccompanied children are eligible for permanent status in the United States under current laws. Attorneys help them safeguard their rights under U.S. law, connect them to essential services, and shield them from exploitation and trafficking.
"NIJC legal staff are the first point of contact for children in Illinois and Indiana to understand the court process, our immigration system, and their rights. Our staff visit detained children to provide basic legal information, conduct legal screenings, and offer representation. Without our services, these children would otherwise face deportation proceedings alone, with a federal immigration prosecutor actively advocating for their return to the dangers they fled.
"Last month, NIJC and other legal service providers successfully sued the Trump administration following the unlawful stoppage of another congressionally funded legal service program. The administration's failure yet again to uphold its legal and ethical duties does not eliminate NIJC attorneys’ ethical obligations to the hundreds of children we’ve committed to represent. We call on members of Congress to vocally oppose this egregious abuse of power by the Executive Branch."