Attorney General Letitia James is pushing back against a federal move to eliminate legal assistance for unaccompanied immigrant children, calling the policy “unbelievably cruel” and a violation of federal law.
On July 17, James joined 19 other attorneys general in filing an amicus brief urging the Ninth Circuit to uphold an injunction blocking the Trump administration’s cancellation of funding for legal services that help migrant children navigate the U.S. immigration system.
“Abandoning support for children who have come to America fleeing violence and abuse is unbelievably cruel,” James said. “Everyone – no matter who they are – deserves legal help, especially children without a parent or guardian to rely on.”
The brief argues that the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 requires the government to provide legal counsel “to the greatest extent practicable” for unaccompanied minors. Without it, James said, children are left alone to face deportation and denied access to housing, health care, education, and basic protections.
The legal aid in question stems from the Unaccompanied Children Program Foundational Rule, issued in 2024 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which mandates funding for immigration attorneys through the Office of Refugee Resettlement. James said the Trump administration’s move to cancel these contracts defies that requirement and risks severe harm to thousands of children.
In New York, the impact could be widespread. The state’s leading legal service provider, ICare, estimates that more than 10,600 unaccompanied children will arrive between 2021 and 2026 needing legal representation. Studies show children without lawyers are more than twice as likely to be deported, and nearly all who are granted relief—such as asylum—are represented in court.
James and her counterparts argue the federal government is unlawfully withholding funds already appropriated by Congress. They are asking the court to uphold a lower court’s ruling that blocks the cuts and maintains legal services for vulnerable youth.
Joining New York in the brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
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