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Federal Judge Temporarily Restores Legal Aid for Migrant Children

A California judge has blocked the Trump administration's cancellation of funding for legal representation for 26,000 unaccompanied minors, citing potential violations of federal law.

Migrant children make their way inside a building at Casa Presidente, an immigrant shelter for unaccompanied minors, in Brownsville, Texas, U.S., June 23, 2018.
Children from Afghanistan wait for some candy from an air worker after migrants gathered between the primary and secondary border fences between Mexico and the United States as they await processing by U.S immigration in San Diego, U.S., September 12, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
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Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin issued a temporary restraining order requiring the Trump administration to reinstate funding for legal aid to unaccompanied migrant children.
  • The ruling, effective until April 16, 2025, ensures continued legal representation for 26,000 vulnerable children navigating complex immigration proceedings.
  • The judge highlighted that the funding cuts potentially violate the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, which mandates legal protections for unaccompanied minors.
  • Nonprofit organizations providing these legal services had begun layoffs and warned of significant harm to children’s due process rights and the immigration court system.
  • The Trump administration argued that funding for legal representation is discretionary, while the court emphasized its role in promoting fairness and efficiency in the immigration system.