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.