Nearly 26,000 undocumented immigrant children without legal representation due to latest Trump cuts

Nearly 26,000 undocumented immigrant children, unaccompanied by parents or guardians, now face the possibility of having no legal representation during their immigration hearings due to the latest cuts by the Trump administration.

On Tuesday, the Department of the Interior issued a stop-work order to the Acacia Center for Justice, as well as all of its subcontractors, on a $200 million federal contract meant to provide representation for children entering the country alone.

During a virtual news conference on Wednesday, a group of immigration attorneys from around the country blasted the Trump administration for the cuts.

"This is brazen cruelty against the most vulnerable. Children as young as toddlers, teenagers fleeing violence," said Michael Lukens with the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights. "We're not talking about a select few that do this work; we're talking about a complete collapse of legal services to unaccompanied children."

Some of the children impacted are toddlers; now likely left without legal representation at their upcoming immigration hearings.

"Imagine small kids, some so little their feet don't touch the floor while looking up at a judge trying to understand immigration law," said Lindsay Toczylowski with ImmDef. "They're sitting at a seat by themselves wearing headphones so an interpreter can try to relay to them what the judge is saying."

"They'll be asked to give information to the judge while a government ICE attorney, whose sole job it is to argue for their deportation, stands opposite them."

Gerson Navidad came to the country when he was 16-years-old. Initially, he had no representation.

"I felt like I was already criminalized even though I was just a kid. The government didn't realize I was fleeing because I was being persecuted by a gang, and it wasn't until I met with a lawyer that I was able to share this part of my story," said Navidad.

Daniella Hernandez Chong Cuy, an immigration attorney with the Law Office of DHCC, said she has a client who's only two-years-old with a hearing Friday.

"What is this 2-year-old client supposed to do without her attorney? Who will speak for her in court?" she said.

Eyewitness News obtained a copy of the letter from the Department of Interior. It read, in part, "This letter constitutes an official Stop Work Order for all activities under (the contract for) Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children."

Eyewitness News learned that the Department of the Interior is responsible for sending out interagency notices and handling contracts, but they could not answer questions about the program.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees issues with undocumented immigrant children, has not responded to our requests for comment.

"This is obviously unacceptable, and this is, to my mind, the most significant attack on immigrant children since family separation," said Lukens.