As the Trump administration aims to meet its goal of deporting 10 million reportedly unauthorized migrants from the United States, some children find themselves alone amid the immigration crackdown. Those who face deportation hearings can be as young as a couple months old. Some of these children have even escaped trafficking to come to the United States.
“No kid should go to court alone,” said Bilal Askaryar, the director of communications for the Acacia Center for Justice.
As the nation witnesses stricter immigration enforcement, the Acacia Center for Justice (ACACIA) is serving as an umbrella organization for attorneys across the country who provide legal representation for unaccompanied children during immigration proceedings.
The program is called the Unaccompanied Children Program. ACACIA is working with more than 160 law offices across the country. Legal representatives from Kids in Need of Defense and The International Rescue Committee in Atlanta are among those on the frontlines.
On Tuesday’s edition of “Closer Look,” show host Rose Scott talked with Bilal Askaryar, the director of communications for the Acacia Center for Justice, and Maria Rosario Acosta, the supervising attorney for Children’s Legal Services with the International Rescue Committee. The guests talked about their ongoing efforts to provide legal representation to help children.
