In late March, the Trump administration cut off essential legal services under a contract that provides legal assistance to children who arrive in the United States without a parent or adult guardian. The decision immediately impacted the lives and well-being of 26,0000 children.

Without government-funded legal services, most unaccompanied children will be forced to navigate a complex and adversarial immigration system alone. Few, if any, will see a fair outcome to their cases and will likely be deported back to situations of gang violence and political instability. In response, legal services organizations serving the children sued the government. The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights and the law firm of Moeel Lah Fakhoury LLP filed an amicus (friend-of-the-court) brief, in support of restoring legal services for children. The federal court ordered the government to resume those services. However, the Trump administration immediately filed an appeal with the Ninth Circuit and a motion to pause the judge’s order while the appeal is being decided.

The Trump administration’s ongoing attempts to tamp down on a child’s right to due process and legal representation underscore one thing: No proceeding is fair when a child is unrepresented. Everyone in the United States has the right to due process regardless of their immigration status. There is no fairness or due process when any of us, including kids, can be torn from our homes, workplaces, and communities without a hearing or the chance to understand and pursue our rights.

Join us on Thursday, June 5 at 1 PM ET as we discuss updates on the current fight for children's access to legal representation in immigration proceedings.