In February 2025 President Trump cut off all funding for legal aid to approximately 26,000 unaccompanied immigrant children. To remain in the U.S., children – some as young as toddlers – must appear in court. Without legal representation, nine out of ten will be deported.
Children seek refuge in the United States for many reasons: to escape war, gangs, or violence, to flee abuse or to reunite with family. Others enter involuntarily as labor or sex trafficking victims – an issue that Trump and members of his administration highlighted as a concern during the 2024 election.
In recent years the number of unaccompanied immigrant children migrating to the United States has nearly tripled. Under current U.S. law, they have no right to legal representation or counsel.
There is no such thing as someone else’s child…
- Joe Biden