Staffing cuts looming, immigration attorneys worry for children
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center is urging the Trump administration to reverse course after it reportedly ordered agencies to stop providing legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children.
The organization, with offices in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, provides legal services to 800 immigrant children across Michigan. The group says those children are now at risk of losing legal representation.
'Many of these children are at risk of being sent back to those dangerous and abusive environments in their home countries,' said managing attorney Elizabeth Santana, who is based out of Kalamazoo and works unaccompanied minor cases.
Michigan Immigration Rights Center ordered to stop work on program
The stop-work order came from the Department of Interior. The organizations like MIRC rely on federal money. MIRC said the order will affect 80% of its staffing.
Santana says the kids range from just 10 months old to teenagers. They include those who crossed the border alone, were trafficked or abused. She said the organization also connects the children with 'safe caregivers,' relatives or other individuals that provide them a home.
Santana argues that because the children are so young, they can't navigate complex immigration court without an attorney by their side.
'Children are among the most vulnerable,' she said. 'They're without their parents or caregivers — that's what an unaccompanied child is.'
The group says 26,000 children nationally are at risk of losing their legal representation. Santana says MIRC will continue to serve its current Michigan clients as long as it can, but the large staffing cut makes things challenging.
'It doesn't mean we can just stop everything we're doing because we have those ethical obligations as attorneys,' she said.
Justice Department rescinds stop-work order for programs that provide guidance in immigration courts
News 8 reached out to several West Michigan Republicans Wednesday for comment. They either weren't available for an interview or did not respond by the time of publication. The Interior Department has also not provided a statement.
The stop-work order comes as the Trump administration continues to cut federal spending. It has also suspended federal funding for groups that help resettle refugees in the U.S.
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