 "An immigrant from El Salvador, seven months pregnant stands next to a US Border Patrol truck near Rio Grande City, Texas. Many pregnant women, according to Border Patrol agents, cross illegally into the US late into their terms with the intention of birthing their babies in the United States. All people born in the U.S. are American Citizens, according to the U.S. constitution. File image/AFP")
The Trump 2.0 administration has pulled back its order to cut off legal aid for unaccompanied child immigrants, three days after the government instructed attorneys across the country to stop their work.
The news was confirmed by the Acacia Center for Justice, the group that provides legal assistance to undocumented migrants, which said that a ban on providing counsel to unaccompanied minors has been lifted.
Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice, said, “We welcome the news that the stop-work order on Acacia’s Unaccompanied Children Program has been lifted. We will continue working alongside the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that these critical services upholding the basic due process rights of vulnerable children are fully restored.”
The notice came after the government on Tuesday suspended the program that provides legal representation to children who have arrived in the United States across the border with Mexico without parents or legal guardians.
Acacia is currently representing about 26,000 children and providing legal education to 100,000 others. The legal aid program is funded by a five-year contract, but the government can decide at the end of each year if it renews it or not.
Unaccompanied children under the age of 18 can request asylum, juvenile immigration status, or visas for victims of sexual exploitation.
Some of the organizations that provide legal representation said the decision to restore funds ensures the continuation of vital protections for vulnerable children.
“We urge the administration to stay this course by exercising the remaining year services under this existing contract,” said Wendy Young, president of the Kids in Need of Defense, one of the organizations that assists migrant children.
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More ShortsWith inputs from agencies