Trump administration plans government lawyers for migrant children

The Trump administration is creating an attorneys’ division within the Department of Health and Human Services to provide legal advice and representation to unaccompanied migrant children in immigration proceedings. HHS says the division will support children and help reunite them with families, but has not explained when it will begin operating or whether outside legal organizations will continue to be involved. The change follows the administration’s termination of its relationship with the Acacia Center for Justice, which managed a network of providers representing thousands of children. Immigration advocates warn that government-employed lawyers may not be sufficiently independent when other government agencies are seeking children’s deportation, potentially weakening protections for vulnerable minors. The arrangement marks a major shift from the independent legal representation established for unaccompanied children in 2008.