Move immigration advocates are calling “heartless,” the Trump administration has abruptly slashed $200 million in funding for legal representation for unaccompanied migrant children, leaving 26,000 kids to navigate the complex U.S. immigration system alone. Experts warn this decision will lead to mass confusion in the courts and could put thousands of vulnerable children at risk of deportation, trafficking, and abuse.
“Imagine being thrown into a foreign courtroom where you don’t understand the language or the law—and then being told you’re on your own,” said Jennie Giambastiani, a retired immigration judge. “Now imagine you’re a child. That’s the reality these kids are facing.”
The funding cut, first reported by ABC News, eliminates the recruitment of attorneys for unaccompanied minors, though it leaves in place informational sessions in detention centers. Immigration lawyers argue that without proper legal representation, many of these children—some as young as two years old—will be left defenseless against a legal system they cannot possibly navigate on their own.
‘Chaos’ in the Courts and Lives on the Line
Legal experts predict a ripple effect across immigration courts, where cases involving unaccompanied minors are already challenging. “Without attorneys, judges will have no assurance that these kids understand why they’re even in court,” Giambastiani warned. “This will throw the system into chaos.”
The decision has sparked outrage from advocacy groups. Over 100 organizations involved in the Acacia Center for Justice’s Unaccompanied Children Program—which has provided legal services to these kids for years—have condemned the cuts.
“Abandoning these children while fast-tracking their deportation cases will result in mass due process violations and wrongful deportations,” said Christine Lin of the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies. “For many, this is a life-or-death situation.”
Ashley Harrington, an attorney for the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, called the move “brazen and reckless,” adding that “forcing toddlers and traumatized children to stand alone against ICE and the immigration courts is unconscionable.”
Decades of Legal Protections Wiped Away
The decision represents a stark reversal of bipartisan efforts spanning nearly two decades to ensure unaccompanied minors have legal protections. Since 2005, federal funding has consistently supported legal representation for these children under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. But now, advocates warn, that safety net is gone.
Data underscores the importance of legal aid. According to the American Immigration Council, children with lawyers attend their immigration hearings 95% of the time, compared to just 33% for those without representation. A Vera Institute of Justice report found that represented children were seven times more likely to receive a legal status allowing them to stay in the U.S.
A ‘Paperwork Issue’ or a Humanitarian Crisis?
Trump’s latest crackdown comes as his administration continues to focus on undocumented youth. The government has also enabled immigration authorities to track potential sponsors of migrant children—raising fears that family members may hesitate to come forward, leaving even more kids stranded in detention centers.
Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly pushed the false claim that 325,000 migrant children have been “slaves, sex slaves, or dead.” In reality, a 2024 report found that 32,000 unaccompanied children failed to appear in court between 2019 and 2023—a problem experts attribute to bureaucratic delays rather than trafficking.
“When you hear ‘missing children,’ you think of kids who vanished without a trace,” said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council. “That’s not the case here. This is a paperwork backlog, not a trafficking crisis.”
Still, migrant children remain highly vulnerable to labor exploitation and sexual abuse. Experts say eliminating legal support will only make matters worse.
“Legal representatives are often the first to hear when children are being mistreated,” said Dr. Nick Cuneo, who has worked extensively with unaccompanied minors. “Removing them strips away a critical layer of protection for kids who already face extreme risks.”
Jesús Güereca, an attorney in El Paso, echoed these concerns. “Inside a shelter, our primary goal is keeping children safe,” he said. “This funding helps protect them. We’re an extra set of eyes, an extra set of ears, and most importantly, an extra set of adults who care.”
