Restore Legal Representation for Unaccompanied Children

Restore the federal contract with the Acacia Center for Justice and reinstate legal representation for the more than 20,000 unaccompanied children now facing immigration proceedings alone. The Trump administration's decision on July 31st dismantled a network of nearly 100 legal service providers — including Church World Service — leaving children as young as four, most of whom don't speak English, to navigate one of the most complex areas of law without any qualified counsel. This isn't a bureaucratic reshuffling. Immigration judges are nearly 100 times more likely to grant relief to children who have legal representation. Many of these kids are survivors of trafficking, persecution, and violence. Replacing a proven network with a single commercial litigation firm that has no immigration expertise is not a solution — it's a denial of due process. The administration has a statutory obligation to facilitate access to legal services for unaccompanied children, and Congress must hold it to that obligation. Defunding this representation doesn't make the children disappear; it just ensures their stories go unheard.