Hundreds of migrant kids in Michigan may lose legal help after Trump ends program
About 800 migrant children in Michigan may soon lack legal representation in courts after the administration of President Donald Trump abruptly shut down most of a program that helped pay for attorneys and other legal assistance.
Immigrant activists said the Trump administration's action is a cruel move that will lead to unaccompanied minors in Michigan being unable to get a fair hearing and lead to more abuse and deportations. One immigrant advocate in Michigan calls it the worst attack on immigrant children since the family separation crisis in 2018 during Trump's first term, when some migrant children were separated from families.
On Friday, the Trump administration sent a termination of services notice to the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center and similar groups across the country to end its Unaccompanied Children Program, which is paid for with government funds. The program allowed children who arrived in the U.S. without a parent to be represented by attorneys in immigration courts. Lawyers who are trained in how to work with vulnerable children with language barriers are needed to properly defend them in court, said Christine Sauvé, manager of policy and communication at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.
Children sometimes travel to the U.S. on their own to escape hardships or to reach other family members who are already in the U.S. The 800 children in Michigan helped by the legal program are part of 26,000 children across the country who will be affected, advocates said. It's the latest move by Trump to toughen immigration enforcement as he vows to deport a record number of immigrants, often linking them to crime. Earlier this year, Trump shut down another legal program to help adults in immigration courts, but after a lawsuit, that program was started up again.
Since 2017, the legal program for unaccompanied children at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center has helped represent almost 1,400 children. In addition, the center has provided 5,686 "Know Your Rights" sessions and 4,061 legal screenings, and identified 6,158 potential pathways for relief for children.
"These numbers result in real, meaningful changes in the lives of children and families, children who grow up to thrive and be part of our communities," Sauvé told the Free Press on Tuesday.
"It is difficult to find replacement attorneys for 800 children," she added. "There's things that (regular) attorneys may not be familiar with, in terms of: taking breaks during an interview to allow the child to play or take a break. There's specific language resources: Many of the children speak minority languages that aren't commonly spoken here, and so sometimes providing that translation or interpretation can be hard for pro bono attorneys to take on."
Some advocates say the shuttering of the program could lead to violations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which helps protect children who arrive in the U.S. without a parent or a legal guardian. Emily Hilliard, deputy press secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the placement of unaccompanied children, told the Free Press by email Tuesday their department 'continues to meet the legal requirements established' by the Act and the Flores settlement of 1997 that resulted from a lawsuit, creating rules to protect immigrant children in U.S. custody.
"We are rolling back decades of progress on protecting the rights of immigrant children," said Susan Reed, director at MIRC. "Children with representation are more likely to win their cases and unrepresented children tend to lose, so this action will change the course of our clients' whole lives.'
Reed called it "the largest attack on immigrant children in Michigan since we faced the family separation crisis in 2018.'
The move could also lead to MIRC, one of the leading immigrant advocacy groups in Michigan, having to eliminate 80% of its staff, Sauvé said.
More: Private for-profit company secures ICE contract to house immigrants in Michigan prison
MIRC is currently looking for other ways to keep the program running through donations or other means, but it's unclear whether it can survive.
The Acacia Center for Justice in Washington, D.C. contracted with the U.S. government on the legal program for unaccompanied children. Acacia then subcontracted with various groups, such as the Michigan center.
'The administration's decision to partially terminate this program flies in the face of decades of work and bipartisan cooperation spent ensuring children who have been trafficked or are at risk of trafficking have child-friendly legal representatives protecting their legal rights and interests," Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice, said in a statement.
In a separate action, the Trump administration also ended this week a rule that had restricted the government from sharing information on the legal status of sponsors, often family members, of unaccompanied migrant children to law enforcement, Reuters reported. The move could lead to family members not coming forward to sponsor children who need their help out of fear of themselves being targeted by immigration agents.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com or X @nwarikoo
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Migrant children in Michigan lose legal help as Trump ends program
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