FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: media@vera.org

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Trump administration notified legal service providers nationwide of its near-total shutdown of the Unaccompanied Children Program, which provides legal representation in immigration court to unaccompanied children in need of protection. This announcement comes just three weeks after the administration reversed its first attempt to halt the program.

These vital services are administered under the Department of Health and Human Services’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and are authorized under the Trafficking and Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), the Flores Settlement Agreement, and the ORR Foundational Rule, which govern the treatment of immigrant children held in government custody.

Shayna Kessler and Nicole Melaku, co-leaders of the Fairness to Freedom campaign for universal representation, issued the following statements:

Shayna Kessler, director, Advancing Universal Representation initiative, Vera Institute of Justice, said: “The legal services provided by the Unaccompanied Children Program are lifelines for vulnerable children who would otherwise be forced to face our complex and outdated immigration system alone. Ending this long-standing program is a direct attack on due process and undermines existing legal protections enshrined in law. The administration must reverse this reckless decision and fully restore the program immediately.”

Nicole Melaku, executive director, National Partnership for New Americans, said: “Across administrations and party lines, policymakers have long supported legal service programs that ensure fair representation for vulnerable children in government custody. The public outcry following the Trump administration’s first attempt to end the program made it clear that people are united in their belief that children deserve to be safe, protected, and defended. President Trump must stop the cruelty—playing political theatre that endangers children’s lives is reprehensible. We urge the President to immediately restore this life-saving program.”

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Fairness to Freedom: The Campaign for Universal Representation was launched by the National Partnership for New Americans and the Vera Institute of Justice in April 2022 with a coalition of over 200 organizations and legal service providers. The campaign’s goal is to support the passage of the Fairness to Freedom Act to establish a federal right to representation for all immigrants facing deportation.