Latest news with #ShainaAber
CNN
24-02-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Reuters: Trump administration launches new effort to deport unaccompanied migrant children, according to internal memo
Immigration agents in the United States have been directed to track down and deport thousands of migrant children who entered the country without their parents, according to an internal memo obtained by Reuters. The memo outlines a plan to deport the unaccompanied minors in four phases – starting with a planning phase that began on January 17, Reuters reported. The memo reportedly did not mention a start date for enforcement actions. CNN has reached out to the US Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement for more details. Children targeted by ICE agents, according to Reuters, would be required to appear in immigration court or be deported if they had orders pending against them. ICE would then sort children into three priority groups, based on data collected from several government records — 'flight risk,' 'public safety' and 'border security.' The reported memo also included a section headlined the 'Unaccompanied Alien Children Joint Initiative Field Implementation,' which outlines initiatives to ensure children are not victims of human trafficking or other forms of exploitation, Reuters reported. The news of the internal memo comes days after the Trump administration walked back an order to cut legal services for unaccompanied migrant children. In a memo obtained by CNN Friday, the US Department of Interior said legal service providers 'may resume' their work. It did not provide an explanation for the policy reversal. Friday's news came as a relief to groups like the Acacia Center for Justice, a DC-based nonprofit that assists nearly 26,000 children. 'We welcome the news that the stop-work order on Acacia's Unaccompanied Children Program has been lifted,' Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice, said in a statement. 'We will continue working alongside the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that these critical services upholding the basic due process rights of vulnerable children are fully restored and our partners in the legal field – legal lifelines safeguarding the rights and well-being of children seeking safety – can resume their work without future disruption or delay.'
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Reuters: Trump administration launches new effort to deport unaccompanied migrant children, according to internal memo
Immigration agents in the United States have been directed to track down and deport thousands of migrant children who entered the country without their parents, according to an internal memo obtained by Reuters. The memo outlines a plan to deport the unaccompanied minors in four phases – starting with a planning phase that began on January 17, Reuters reported. The memo reportedly did not mention a start date for enforcement actions. CNN has reached out to the US Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement for more details. Children targeted by ICE agents, according to Reuters, would be required to appear in immigration court or be deported if they had orders pending against them. ICE would then sort children into three priority groups, based on data collected from several government records — 'flight risk,' 'public safety' and 'border security.' The reported memo also included a section headlined the 'Unaccompanied Alien Children Joint Initiative Field Implementation,' which outlines initiatives to ensure children are not victims of human trafficking or other forms of exploitation, Reuters reported. The news of the internal memo comes days after the Trump administration walked back an order to cut legal services for unaccompanied migrant children. In a memo obtained by CNN Friday, the US Department of Interior said legal service providers 'may resume' their work. It did not provide an explanation for the policy reversal. Friday's news came as a relief to groups like the Acacia Center for Justice, a DC-based nonprofit that assists nearly 26,000 children. 'We welcome the news that the stop-work order on Acacia's Unaccompanied Children Program has been lifted,' Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice, said in a statement. 'We will continue working alongside the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that these critical services upholding the basic due process rights of vulnerable children are fully restored and our partners in the legal field – legal lifelines safeguarding the rights and well-being of children seeking safety – can resume their work without future disruption or delay.'
CNN
24-02-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Reuters: Trump administration launches new effort to deport unaccompanied migrant children, according to internal memo
Immigration agents in the United States have been directed to track down and deport thousands of migrant children who entered the country without their parents, according to an internal memo obtained by Reuters. The memo outlines a plan to deport the unaccompanied minors in four phases – starting with a planning phase that began on January 17, Reuters reported. The memo reportedly did not mention a start date for enforcement actions. CNN has reached out to the US Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement for more details. Children targeted by ICE agents, according to Reuters, would be required to appear in immigration court or be deported if they had orders pending against them. ICE would then sort children into three priority groups, based on data collected from several government records — 'flight risk,' 'public safety' and 'border security.' The reported memo also included a section headlined the 'Unaccompanied Alien Children Joint Initiative Field Implementation,' which outlines initiatives to ensure children are not victims of human trafficking or other forms of exploitation, Reuters reported. The news of the internal memo comes days after the Trump administration walked back an order to cut legal services for unaccompanied migrant children. In a memo obtained by CNN Friday, the US Department of Interior said legal service providers 'may resume' their work. It did not provide an explanation for the policy reversal. Friday's news came as a relief to groups like the Acacia Center for Justice, a DC-based nonprofit that assists nearly 26,000 children. 'We welcome the news that the stop-work order on Acacia's Unaccompanied Children Program has been lifted,' Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice, said in a statement. 'We will continue working alongside the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that these critical services upholding the basic due process rights of vulnerable children are fully restored and our partners in the legal field – legal lifelines safeguarding the rights and well-being of children seeking safety – can resume their work without future disruption or delay.'
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration reinstates funds for lawyers representing 26,000 children in immigration court
The Trump Administration on Friday restored a program that funds lawyers representing unaccompanied minors in immigration court, days after halting it with little explanation. "This letter cancels the Stop Work Order issued Feb 18, 2025," said a memo to Acacia Center for Justice, which is contracted to administer the nationwide program. The Department of Interior, which sent the letter, did not respond to a request for comment. The program provides legal representation to about 26,000 children, some too young to read or speak. Many of those children survived abuse, persecution or trafficking and are in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. In California, the program represents about 4,000 children who don't have a legal guardian. 'We welcome the news," said Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice. "We will continue working alongside the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that these critical services upholding the basic due process rights of vulnerable children are fully restored and our partners in the legal field – legal lifelines safeguarding the rights and well-being of children seeking safety – can resume their work without future disruption or delay." The decision came after supporters flooded Congress members with letters of support. But advocates worry the program may eventually lose funding, as the administration continues to strip away support from immigrants in the country without status. President Donald Trump signed Wednesday an executive order aimed at cutting off undocumented immigrants from any federal benefits. The order directs the Department of Government Efficiency and the Office of Management and Budget to identify in the next 30 days federal funding that is spent on those here illegally. While children in the immigration system do have the right to an attorney, they do not have the the right to a court-appointed one. Acacia found that since 2017 about 57% of children with pending cases have legal representation, a figure that had dropped from previous years. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Arab News
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Trump administration reverses its previous decision and reinstates legal aid for migrant children
MIAMI: 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 Friday reversed itself. The Trump administration told the groups that they can resume providing legal services to tens of thousands of unaccompanied children. The Acacia Center for Justice said that they received notice from the government of the reversal. The notice came after the government on Tuesday 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. 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. Acacia said that in less than 48 hours, members of the public sent more than 15,000 letters to the Congress demanding the resumption of the program. 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 US 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 the Kids in Need of Defense, one of the organizations that assists migrant children.
