Days after telling legal groups who help migrant children who arrive in America alone — some so young they are in diapers or their feet dangle from their chairs in court — that they must stop their work, the federal government reversed itself on Friday.
The Trump administration told the groups that they can resume providing legal services to tens of thousands of unaccompanied children.
Immigrant Defenders Law Center, the largest legal service provider for unaccompanied children in Southern California, said they also had received notice that the stop-work order had been lifted after three days.
“We welcome the news that the government has lifted the stop-work order, resuming funding for our services for thousands of vulnerable children,” said ImmDef president and chief executive officer Lindsay Toczylowski in a statement.
She added that people appalled by cruelty of ending the programs sent more than 15,000 letters to Congress demanding the restoration of legal access and protections for unaccompanied children.
“We are deeply grateful for their support,” Toczylowski said. “Now, children across the nation won’t have to face the immediate threat of going without legal representation as they navigate our labyrinthine immigration court system.”
However, she added, the stop-work orders caused widespread chaos across the nation, including staff furloughs and general instability.
“This rollercoaster of chaos is not how a stable government would function,” she said.
“While we are momentarily relieved, we know the fight to protect due process for children is far from over. We continue to demand that the Trump administration stop playing games with children’s rights and their safety.
“We will continue to hold them to account because our clients, and so many thousands of children across the nation, are depending on good people to stand up and say enough is enough.”
The Acacia Center for Justice said that they had also received notice from the Trump administration of the reversal.
The notice came after the government suspended the program that provides legal representation to children who have arrived in the United States across the border with Mexico without parents or legal guardians on Tuesday.
Several organizations that offer assistance to migrant children had criticized the measure and said at the time that the minors were at risk.
The $200 million contract allows Acacia and its subcontractors to provide legal representation to about 26,000 children and legal education to another 100,000 more.
The Friday notice from the United States Department of Interior obtained by The Associated Press does not explain the Trump administration decision to reinstate the program. I states that it “cancels” the order to halt legal services to migrant children.
“Acacia Center for Justice may resume all activities,” the short notice says.
Shaina Aber, executive director of Acacia said that they will continue to work with the government “to ensure that these critical services upholding the basic due process rights of vulnerable children are fully restored” and their partners can resume their work.
She warned, however, that this is a “critical moment to ensure that no child is forced to navigate” the immigration system alone.
The program is funded by a five-year contract, but the government can decide at the end of each year if it renews it or not. The deadline for this year’s decision is in March.
Michael Lukens, the executive director of Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, one of the subcontractors, said that despite the reversal he is still concerned.
“I’m very concerned because the attack on children is unprecedented and to even begin that is troubling,” Lukens said. He said if the stop-work order had remained in place, it would have left kids across the country without due process or protection.
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2008 created special protections for children who arrive alone in the U.S. The law said the government should facilitate legal representation for the children put into deportation proceedings, though it did not mandate every child have a lawyer.
Unaccompanied children under the age of 18 can request asylum, juvenile immigration status, or visas for victims of sexual exploitation.
Some of the organizations that provide legal representation said the decision to restore funds ensures the continuation of vital protections for vulnerable children.
“We urge the administration to stay this course by exercising the remaining year services under this existing contract,” said Wendy Young, president of Kids in Need of Defense, one of the organizations that assists migrant children.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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