A quietly expiring government contract has set off alarms among immigration lawyers and child-advocacy groups. As of July 31 the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services allowed a long-running agreement with the Vera Institute of Justice and partner nonprofits to lapse, removing guaranteed legal representation for an estimated 55,000 unaccompanied minors currently in removal proceedings. The Trump administration chose not to renew the $350 million, three-year contract, arguing that taxpayer funds should not subsidize “frivolous asylum claims.” Under American immigration law, children do not receive court-appointed counsel; instead, HHS has historically funded nonprofit attorneys to guide minors through complex proceedings, locate family sponsors and ensure they appear at hearings. Without that backstop, children as young as six may be forced to argue their cases alone before immigration judges—a scenario numerous federal courts have criticized as a due-process failure. According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, represented minors are five times more likely to win protection or voluntary departure than those proceeding pro se. The immediate impact will be felt in border states like Texas and Arizona, where shelters house the largest numbers of children. Several Houston-area tech companies that sponsor STEM-talent volunteering programs at shelters told the Global Mobility Monitor they have suspended those activities over liability concerns and uncertainty about which adults may now remove children for court appearances. Employers also worry that the upsurge in unrepresented cases could strain already overbooked immigration courts, delaying other business-related petitions that share the same docket time. Advocacy organizations are scrambling to create an emergency fund and recruit pro bono corporate counsel. Law firms in New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., report a surge of inquiries from in-house legal departments asking how they can “adopt” individual children’s cases. Meanwhile, congressional Democrats have introduced a stop-gap appropriations rider that would restore funding through the fiscal year, but House leadership signaled the measure is unlikely to receive a floor vote absent broader concessions on border enforcement. For global mobility managers, the episode underscores the cascading operational risks created by unpredictable U.S. immigration policy. Companies relocating foreign employees with school-age children should anticipate heightened media scrutiny of family-immigration issues and may face questions from assignees about the safety net for minors. Corporate foundations looking to assist can vet experienced nonprofits and consider matching-gift programs; in many states, donations to legal-aid providers qualify for Community Reinvestment Act credit. Above all, HR teams should monitor any court injunctions that could compel HHS to reinstate counsel, which might in turn ease pressure on immigration-court calendars and visa-application processing.
Source: Associated Press
