The ruling temporarily prevents 26,000 unaccompanied minors from losing access to legal representation.
A federal judge has ordered the U.S. government to temporarily reinstate funding for legal aid to unaccompanied migrant children, stating that it promotes fairness within the immigration system.
The order, issued on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin of San Francisco, stops tens of thousands of unaccompanied children from losing legal representation. This decision comes after the Trump administration terminated a contract with a nonprofit organization responsible for providing these children with legal aid.
The Trump administration ended its contract with the Acacia Center for Justice on March 21.
Acacia criticized the move, emphasizing that legal assistance for vulnerable children is “more crucial than ever” as the administration intensifies deportation efforts.
“The administration’s decision to end these services undermines due process, disproportionately impacts vulnerable children, and puts children who have already experienced severe trauma at risk of further irreparable harm or exploitation,” said Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice, in a press release.
A group of subcontractors working with Acacia filed a lawsuit, arguing that a 2008 anti-trafficking law requires the government to provide legal counsel to vulnerable children, many of whom are too young to speak or do not understand English.
Judge Martinez-Olguin agreed that the advocates raised valid concerns about compliance with the 2008 law and ruled that funding should continue while the case is being resolved.
“The Court additionally finds that the continued funding of legal representation for unaccompanied children promotes efficiency and fairness within the immigration system,” she wrote.
The order will take effect on Wednesday and remain in place through April 16.
This decision marks the third legal setback in less than a week for the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, though all rulings may prove temporary as the lawsuits progress.
On Friday, a federal judge in Boston ruled that individuals with final deportation orders must be given a “meaningful opportunity” to contest being sent to a country other than their own.
On Monday, another federal judge in San Francisco halted plans to end protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, including 350,000 whose legal status was set to expire on April 7.
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