Washington, D.C. — After the Trump Administration stripped children in immigration courts of lawyers, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is leading a bipartisan demand that the Administration reverse course and ensure children have representation.
Today, Sens. Ossoff and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) warned U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that the Trump Administration’s move to end legal services for unaccompanied minors is putting children at risk of trafficking and exploitation and urged the restoration of representation.
The Trump Administration’s order last month removes protections that have helped unaccompanied children — some as young as two years old — get legal representation in immigration court, as mandated by law.
Without a lawyer, many of these children could be forced to face judges and complex legal proceedings alone.
“We write to express our serious concern about the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) recent decision to terminate legal services for unaccompanied children and to urge you to restore these services, including legal representation of over 26,000 of these children, under the associated federal contract implemented by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR),” Sens. Ossoff and Murkowski wrote. “The termination of this contract runs counter to the requirements of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), puts children directly at risk of trafficking and exploitation, and harms any hope of a fair legal process for thousands of vulnerable children.”
In 2008, the bipartisan Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act(TVPRA) created procedures for processing the cases of unaccompanied children (UAC) in recognition of the vulnerability of children traveling alone to human trafficking and other forms of exploitation.
“Access to counsel is critical to ensure fair and efficient immigration proceedings for unaccompanied children. Terminating legal representation for these children means that toddlers will now face a courtroom and judge with no adult to advocate on their behalf. Children will be asked to make decisions about their legal rights well beyond their comprehension, with life-altering consequences,” Sens. Ossoff and Murkowski continued.
Sen. Ossoff is continuing his work to ensure children are protected from human trafficking and exploitation.
Last month, Sens. Ossoff and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) led a group of 32 Senators demanding HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum continue legal services for unaccompanied children caught up in the immigration system as required by law.
Last month, Sen. Ossoff sounded the alarm about the Trump Administration’s decision to house migrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Federal prisons already overcrowded and understaffed nationwide, including FCI Atlanta.
In February, Sens. Ossoff and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the bipartisan Generate Recordings of All Child Protective Interviews Everywhere (GRACIE Act) to bring transparency and improve outcomes for children involved with Child Protective Services, including Georgia’s Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS).
Click here to read the Senators’ letter.
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