Trump Administration Creates Government Legal Division for Migrant Children
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services established a new division to provide direct legal counsel to unaccompanied migrant children in immigration proceedings.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is establishing the Unaccompanied Alien Children Legal Representation Division to provide direct legal counsel to unaccompanied migrant children in immigration proceedings. Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. signed the announcement in the Federal Register, stating the division will provide a mechanism to provide children direct legal support to safely reunify them with their families.
This transition follows the administration's decision to terminate a contract with the Acacia Center for Justice, which previously managed legal services for over 20,000 children through a network of 100 providers. The administration ended the relationship after the network refused to share privileged client information. In its place, the government awarded a no-bid contract to Our Rescue, an organization founded by a former ICE agent with no prior experience in representing minors. While one report values the contract at $158 million, another suggests it could be worth up to $244 million.
Legal advocates and nonprofit leaders argue the move creates a conflict of interest because the government will now act as the legal counsel for children while other federal agencies serve as judges and prosecutors. Critics claim this arrangement may pressure children to agree to voluntary departure rather than receiving a full defense. These changes coincide with a reported increase in the average time children spend in government care, rising from 30 days before January 2025 to 170 days, and a 3,500% increase in habeas corpus petitions challenging illegal detentions.
