The fate of more than 20,000 unaccompanied immigrant children remains uncertain as the Trump Administration reportedly is withholding $65 million meant for their legal fees in immigration courts.
According to the Acacia Center for Justice, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has withheld the funding since late 2025. The HHS-funded contracts supporting legal services for unaccompanied children are expected to expire tomorrow.
This has resulted in legal fees mounting for organizations like Acacia and the International Rescue Committee. In contrast, organizations such as Kids in Need of Defense have represented the children while not being paid.
Without federal funding, some law offices have reportedly stopped taking new clients of unaccompanied children. Some attorneys are at risk of layoffs, and one advocacy group faces closure after 40 years.
But without a lawyer, Acacia reports children have a less than 10% chance of staying in the U.S., and immigration judges are nearly 100 times less likely to grant relief to a child.
