Original Date Announced

The Department of the Interior informed legal service providers who receive federal funding under HHS's Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children program to immediately stop work on all activities of the longstanding program. The letter states that "[t]he stop work order is being implemented due to causes outside of your control and should not be misconstrued as an indication of poor performance by your firm." The order jeopardizes ongoing legal representation for nearly 26,000 children.

Trump 2.0 [ID #1546]

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.02.21 Priscilla Alvarez stop-work order for legal services for unaccompanied minors lifted.pdf

CNN reporter Priscilla Alvarez posted on X/Twitter that "[l]egal service providers assisting unaccompanied migrant children can resume their work, according to a memo obtained by CNN, cancelling a previous directive issued by the Trump administration."

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.02.21 Acacia Center for Justice Resumes Representation Services for Unaccompanied Children

The Acacia Center for Justice reported that it had "received notice that it can immediately resume work providing representation and legal access services to unaccompanied children."

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.03.21 Reported: Trump Administration Halts Funding for Legal Representation of Migrant Children - New York Times

The Trump administration sent a notice to organizations that provide legal aid to unaccompanied children that it would cancel a contract that supplied around $200 million of funding in total, according to the New York Times. The contract was up for renewal on March 29. This funding had previously been used to represent more than 25,000 children who had entered the United States alone.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.03.26 Complaint - CLSEPA v. HHS

Multiple legal service providers for children filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), and the Department of the Interior (DOI) seeking declaratory and injunctive relief from the March 21, 2024, termination of services for unaccompanied immigrant children. Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (CLSEPA) v. HHS, No. 3:25-cv-02847 (N.D. Cal.).

On March 21, DOI sent a notice terminating the contract line items through which the HHS and ORR provided funding for counsel for unaccompanied children. The notice also included a stop work order to the plaintiff organizations related to their ongoing funded representations. This termination has affected 26,000 children.

**Link to case here. Our litigation entries generally report only the initial complaint and any major substantive filings or decisions. For additional information, CourtListener provides access to PACER and all available pleadings. Other sites that track litigation in more detail or organize cases by topic include Civil Rights Clearinghouse, Justice Action Center, National Immigration Litigation Alliance, and Just Security**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.04.01 Order Granting TRO - CLSEPA v. HHS

Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín granted legal organizations' motion for a temporary restraining order and prohibited the government from cutting off congressionally-appropriated funding, particularly for direct legal representation of unaccompanied minors, through April 16, 2025. Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (CLSEPA) v. HHS, No. 3:25-cv-02847 (N.D. Cal.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.04.23 Reported: Migrant Children Appearing in NYC Immigration Courts With No Lawyer - The Gothamist

The Gothamist reports that migrant children in NYC shelters are increasingly appearing in virtual court hearings without legal counsel. This is due in part to the Trump administration's cancelation of a "$200 million contract that fund[ed] attorneys and other legal services for unaccompanied children." Even though a federal judge recently ordered the contract partially restored, legal organizations continue to face difficulties accessing available funds. Without representation, children are significantly more likely lose their cases and be deported. According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, 96% percent of people who appear in New York state immigration courts without legal counsel are deported.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.04.29 Preliminary Injunction - CLSEPA v. HHS

District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín issued a preliminary injunction, enjoining and restraining the government from withdrawing the services or funding provided by ORR as of March 20, 2025, under the TVPRA and HHS's Foundational Rule, particularly funding for direct legal representation services to unaccompanied children. Defendants are precluded from cutting off access to congressionally appropriated funding for the duration of the injunction. Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto v. HHS, No. 3:25-cv-02847 (N.D. Cal.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.12.04 Reported: Trump Is Poised To Privatize Legal Aid For Migrant Children - The Lever

The Lever reports that the Trump administration is moving to overhaul the Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children Program. The government is planning on privatizing the program by outsourcing it to a for-profit ICE technology contractor and bidding on the contract in partnership with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), a nonprofit that provides minors with pro bono representation from major law firms. According to procurement records, the contract would force attorneys for immigrant children to share detailed information about their clients with the government, limit the lawyers’ resources, and encourage some critical legal services to be provided virtually, among other changes. Advocates warn that these changes prioritize cost and efficiency over children's safety, confidentiality, and well-being.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.07.03 Reported: Trump administration asks Texas for help providing legal services to immigrant kids facing deportation - The Texas Tribune

The Texas Tribune reports that DOJ contacted the Texas Indigent Defense Commission about providing legal services to immigrant children in deportation cases, with federal funding to be routed through ORR. The Commission's executive director responded that its statutory mandate is limited to criminal defense. A DOJ source stated that DOJ first asked for assistance from the Texas Attorney General's office, which also declined.

The inquiries come as the Acacia Center for Justice's temporary contract for representation of unaccompanied minors expires July 31, 2026. Commentators worry that DOJ's Texas inquiries suggest an effort to transfer unaccompanied minors to the state in an effort to deport them quickly.

For additional information regarding the Acacia Center's contract, see this entry.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.07.22 Reported: Contract for legal representation of unaccompanied children set to lapse July 31 - The Guardian

The Guardian reports that more than 20,000 unaccompanied children risk appearing in immigration court without counsel upon the expiration of the Acacia Center's contract on July 31, 2026. The Center's executive director says the government has already refused to reimburse roughly $65 million in work completed since December 2025 unless providers turn over confidential client information, including unredacted medical evaluations and case data.

For additional information regarding the Acacia Center's contract, see this entry.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.08.06 Order Granting Motion to Enforce - CLSEPA v. HHS

District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín granted plaintiffs' motion to enforce the April 29, 2025 preliminary injunction, noting that defendants have not complied with the injunction and have withheld funds appropriated for legal representation services to unaccompanied minors since December 2025. The court ordered defendants to release the withheld funds by August 7. It also stated that "Defendants may not condition compliance with this Order on receipt of any further information from Acacia, as imposing additional conditions for issuance of payment at this stage would be an end run around the injunction that the Court must reject." The court also ordered defendants to detail their current compliance with the preliminary injunction following the expiration of the contract with Acacia. Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto v. HHS, No. 3:25-cv-02847 (N.D. Cal.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.08.06 DHHS - Announcement of the Intent To Award a Single-Source Cooperative Agreement to Burke Law Group, PLLC in Houston, Texas

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) announced its intent to award a single-source cooperative agreement of up to $150 million to Burke Law Group, a Houston-based law firm, to provide legal services for unaccompanied children in ORR custody. Under the proposed award, Burke Law Group would provide legal orientation, legal consultation, and attorney-of-record representation for eligible children in proceedings before EOIR and USCIS while children remain in ORR care. The award also funds limited post-discharge legal continuity planning and referral support as children exit ORR care.

The proposed period of performance is August 15, 2026 to August 14, 2027. ORR cited statutory mandates under the TVPRA and compliance with a preliminary injunction in Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto v. HHS, No. 4:25-cv-02847 (N.D. Cal.), as authority for expanding legal representation capacity.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.08.06 Debany Declaration - CLSEPA v. HHS

Richard Debany, the Chief for the Division of Acquisition Requirements of ORR, filed a declaration stating that on August 4, 2026, ORR awarded a supplemental cooperative agreement, in an amount of up to $20 million, to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) to provide legal services for unaccompanied minors in ORR care. It states that USCRI began providing legal services on August 5, 2026, and is prepared to provide legal representation for unaccompanied minors before the EOIR, legal orientation, and legal consultation services through at least December 2026.

The declaration states that the agreement with USCRI and grant-related activities with Burke Law Group (described above) are “interim measures while ORR continues its ongoing procurement efforts . . . for successor contracts.” Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto v. HHS, No. 3:25-cv-02847 (N.D. Cal.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.08.07 DHHS - Legal Services for Unaccompanied Alien Children

A SAM.gov notice shows that the Trump administration awarded a no-bid $244 million contract to Our Rescue, a Utah-based non-profit, to provide legal representation to unaccompanied migrant children in immigration proceedings.

Our Rescue was founded by an unconfirmed former ICE agent, Tim Ballard, who left Our Rescue in 2023 amid allegations of sexual misconduct. The current CEO, Derek Benner, was a senior official at ICE Homeland Security Investigations.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.08.11 Burke Law Group - Statement on ORR Contract

Burke Law Group released a statement on the proposed $150 million award from ORR. It clarified that it was only considering applying for a “small portion of that amount,” and that it has since decided not to apply for a grant or a contract and has withdrawn from consideration.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.08.20 Plaintiffs' Motion to Show Cause - CLSEPA v. HHS

Plaintiffs filed a motion to show cause, alleging that while defendants released withheld funds, they have not come into compliance with the preliminary injunction. The motion states that defendants have failed to provide any details about plans to provide services to unaccompanied children, and that their actions have already caused legal services gaps for minors.

It also argues that USCRI and Our Rescue are not capable of competently representing all unaccompanied minors previously represented under the Acacia contract. In particular, it asserts that although defendants have represented that USCRI has provided “100% coverage for all hearings” since August 5, multiple unaccompanied children have appeared at immigration court hearings without representation. The motion further states that even if USCRI and Our Rescue are capable, their contracts do not permit many of the services or motions that were previously funded, including seeking relief under CAT and cancelation of removal. Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto v. HHS, No. 3:25-cv-02847 (N.D. Cal.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above**