HHS Awards $150 Million Migrant Legal Contract to Burke Law Group
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services intends to award a $150 million legal services contract to a small Houston firm following a data dispute.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services announced its intent to award a $150 million contract to Burke Law Group, a small firm based in Houston, Texas, to provide legal representation for unaccompanied migrant children in government custody.
The decision follows a conflict between the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the previous prime contract holder, Acacia Center for Justice. Government officials stated that Acacia was offered a new contract contingent on providing data regarding represented individuals. Acacia refused this requirement, asserting that the information is legally privileged.
Other providers claim the administration withheld $65 million in fees to pressure them into releasing confidential client data. Meanwhile, agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have visited Washington-area nonprofits that provide legal services to migrant children.
Burke Law Group employs 26 people and does not list immigration law as a practice area. However, the firm's founders include former Trump administration appointees.
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