The ruling temporarily stops 26,000 unaccompanied minors from losing their legal representation.
A federal judge has ordered the United States government to temporarily restart funding for legal aid to migrant children travelling alone, saying it makes the immigration system fairer.
The order by US District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin of San Francisco on Tuesday prevents tens of thousands of unaccompanied children from losing their lawyers. It comes after President Donald Trump’s administration cancelled a contract with a nonprofit that helps them get legal representation.
Trump’s administration ended the government’s contract with the Acacia Center for Justice on March 21.
Acacia slammed the move, saying legal aid for vulnerable children is “more crucial than ever” as the administration ramps up deportations.
“The administration’s decision to end these services undermines due process, disproportionately impacts vulnerable children, and puts children who have already experienced severe trauma at risk for further irreparable harm or exploitation,” said Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice, in a press release.
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A group of subcontractors under Acacia sued, arguing that a 2008 anti-trafficking law compels the government to provide legal counsel for vulnerable children, many of whom are too young to speak or do not speak English.
Judge Martinez-Olguin agreed that the advocates raised valid concerns about compliance with the 2008 legislation and ruled that funding should continue while the case is resolved.
“The Court additionally finds that the continued funding of legal representation for unaccompanied children promotes efficiency and fairness within the immigration system,” she wrote.
The order will take effect on Wednesday and runs through April 16.
It is the third legal setback in less than a week for the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, though all may prove temporary as the lawsuits advance.
On Friday, a federal judge in Boston said people with final deportation orders must have a “meaningful opportunity” to argue against being sent to a country other than their own.
On Monday, another federal judge in San Francisco put on hold plans to end protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, including 350,000 whose legal status was scheduled to expire on April 7.