While New York-based organizations have not stopped representing the unaccompanied minors they already work with, they’re not sure how long they’ll be able to do so without funding.

A U.S. Border Patrol processing facility for migrant families and unaccompanied children in Texas in 2021. (Jaime Rodriguez Sr./Customs and Border Patrol)

Recently, a 5-year-old migrant crossed the border and was placed in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the federal agency responsible for unaccompanied minors. 

The child, who crossed without a parent or legal guardian, was released to a sponsor in New York and obtained court representation through Church World Service, one of nine organizations providing legal services to immigrant youth through federal funding. 

The group’s government contract, however, was cancelled two weeks ago.

On March 21, the Trump administration instructed providers around the country to immediately cease services to more than 25,000 minors after it failed to renew over $200 million in federal grants, which expired on March 29. This was the Trump administration’s second attempt at defunding those services: In February, the federal government issued a stop-work order to halt legal aid for unaccompanied minors, but rescinded it a few days later.

ORR is a program office of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the agency in charge of migrant children’s care, and which oversees the contract. 

An ACF spokesperson said that ORR “continues to meet the legal requirements established by” the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which established the Department of Homeland Security, and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA), which increased protections for victims and required screening of unaccompanied children for potential trafficking.

However, advocates say the end of the contract eliminates almost all of their services with unaccompanied children, and dismantles infrastructure and expertise built over decades. Since the news broke on March 21, providers and advocates have sounded the alarm, saying that infants, toddlers, and teenagers without lawyers are far more likely to be detained and deported.

The Acacia Center for Justice, which runs the Unaccompanied Children Program (UCP) through a network of organizations, said the latest order amounts to a near-total termination of services, including full legal representation, legal screenings, Spanish translation and interpretation, as well as reporting and other support.

“The only work that is allowed to continue is ‘know your rights’ presentations for young children because that is mandated by the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act,” said Madison Allman, Acacia’s communications manager, via email.

In New York alone, approximately 7,700 minors were served by the UCP in fiscal year 2024, said Sierra Kraft, executive director of the ICARE Coalition, an organization advocating to expand access to legal representation for unaccompanied immigrant children in New York City.

UCP has about 1,800 open cases in New York State funded by the contract, most of them now at risk of losing representation. The termination directly impacts 191 staff members across nine legal service providers in New York, Kraft explained.

City Limits reached out to all providers in the state to ask about the impact of the cuts, and while organizations have not stopped representing the minors they already work with, they’re unsure of how long they can continue to do so without funding.

While attorneys have ethical obligations to the children they already represent and cannot withdraw from a case without a judge’s permission, the funding loss puts them in a tough position.

“The lawyers will face a series of increasingly difficult questions: how long can they afford to represent the kids for free? How will they balance their ethical duties to vulnerable children? They will risk their licenses if they fail to continue representing their child client’s interests without finding someone else who can represent them,” Allman explained. “They are now caught in an impossible situation that is entirely manufactured by this administration.”

Providers like the Empire Justice Center have already issued 30-day layoff notices to attorneys on contract, said Kristin Brown, president and CEO of the Empire Justice Center, a nonprofit that provides legal services to minors in ORR shelters or released to sponsors, or who have no family members in the country and are living in foster care.

Empire Justice Center’s Senior Attorney Robert Cisneros said the organization is currently representing between 290 and 310 cases of minors in removal proceedings before the immigration courts in New York’s lower Hudson Valley.

Unlike criminal cases, legal counsel is not guaranteed in immigration court. Attorneys said that despite being eligible for protections under U.S. law, unaccompanied minors are more likely to be deported without access to legal counsel.

According to Acacia, unaccompanied minors are seven times more likely to receive a favorable outcome in immigration court if they have a lawyer representing them.

These attorneys represent a range of cases, from the trauma and abuse of children to survivors of human trafficking. Just before the order, Cisneros said, they took a case of a teenager trafficked to the U.S. who’s now facing removal proceedings in New York.

“The government still tries to remove them,” Cisneros said. “They still try to deport them, so they still have to go to immigration court.”

Another organization providing legal services, Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York, has 265 cases involving unaccompanied minors in the Albany area.

“A large percentage of these minors are eligible and will receive legal status if they have an attorney who can help them negotiate the complex immigration court system,” said Jim Milstein, the organization’s Immigration Project director.

Another direct effect of the cut is that organizations can’t take on more cases. Right before a call with City Limits, Milstein was on the phone with a minor seeking help. “We haven’t officially accepted his representation, but I think we’re going to try and figure out how to do it,” he said.

And need is present throughout the state. Even before the contract was terminated, many providers were already at capacity. Attorneys at the Empire Justice Center said they are not taking any more cases, even though they have been contacted with more.

All providers who spoke with City Limits said they are urgently seeking funding sources to maintain these services. Safe Passage Project, for example, is also mobilizing pro bono attorneys to help bridge the representation gap, while other providers are working to transfer cases to other organizations with funded programs.

Providers also said they are seeking emergency funding and working with Congress, the Senate, and state and local lawmakers to try to fill the gap, but there are no concrete results to show yet.

State lawmakers have introduced two bills to fund legal representation in New York through the Access to Representation Act, which would provide attorneys to those who can’t afford it while facing deportation, and the Building Up Immigrant Legal Defense, which would create multi-year funding for immigration legal service providers. 

According to a recent Acacia poll, 61 percent of American adults felt that children facing the immigration system without a parent or guardian should be guaranteed access to legal support and services.

“The Unaccompanied Children Program is not just a lifeline—it is a moral obligation to protect immigrant children. Without this program, these children are left defenseless, jeopardizing their safety, well-being and future,” said Angela Fernández, executive director of Safe Passage Project, via email.

“We urge leaders and officials to take immediate action and reinstate the Unaccompanied Children Program to ensure that every child has the opportunity to be heard, supported, and safeguarded in their journey toward a better future,” Fernández added.

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Daniel@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

Want to republish this story? Find City Limits’ reprint policy here.

The post ‘An Impossible Situation’: NY Providers Scramble After Trump Cuts Legal Aid For Unaccompanied Minors appeared first on City Limits.

By COLLIN BINKLEY, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Harvard University has become the latest target in the Trump administration’s approach to fight campus antisemitism, with the announcement of a new “comprehensive review” that could jeopardize billions of dollars for the Ivy League college.

A federal antisemitism task force is reviewing more than $255 million in contracts between Harvard and the federal government to make sure the school is following civil rights laws, the administration announced Monday. The government also will examine $8.7 billion in grant commitments to Harvard and its affiliates.

The same task force cut $400 million from Columbia University and threatened to slash billions more if it refused a list of demands from President Donald Trump’s administration. Columbia agreed to many of the changes this month, drawing praise from some Jewish groups and condemnation from free speech groups, who see it as a stunning intrusion by the federal government.

Dozens of other universities have been put on notice by the Trump administration that they could face similar treatment over allegations of antisemitism. The federal government is a major provider of revenue for American universities through grants for scientific research.

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Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Harvard symbolizes the American Dream but has jeopardized its reputation by “promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry.”

“Harvard can right these wrongs and restore itself to a campus dedicated to academic excellence and truth-seeking, where all students feel safe on its campus,” McMahon said in a statement.

The announcement didn’t say whether the government had made any specific demands of Harvard. The Education Department, the Health and Human Services Department and the U.S. General Services Administration are leading the review.

The review will determine whether orders to halt work should be issued for certain contracts between Harvard and the federal government, the government said. The task force is also ordering Harvard to submit a list of all contracts with the federal government, both directly with the school or through any of its affiliates.

“The Task Force will continue its efforts to root out anti-Semitism and to refocus our institutions of higher learning on the core values that undergird a liberal education,” said Sean Keveney, acting general counsel for Health and Human Services. “We are pleased that Harvard is willing to engage with us on these goals.”

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — After dishing out a contract extension to head coach Kevin O’Connell a couple of months ago, co-owner Mark Wilf made it clear that the Vikings would like to do the same with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

“We have all the faith in Kwesi,” Wilf said on Monday afternoon at NFL Owners Meetings. “We’ve had very, very positive conversations, and that’s something we’re going to continue to work towards.”

Asked last week about the fact that he still does not have a contract extension, Adofo-Mensah downplayed the situation, noting that sometimes it takes time to come to an agreement.

“I don’t think about that very much,” he said. “It’s probably on me that it’s not going quicker because I wake up every morning focused on the things that I need to focus on to get this team where we want to go.”

Though it seems notable that the Vikings prioritized O’Connell this offseason, Wilf said the market partially dictated that part of the equation, adding that it doesn’t mean anything as it pertains to Adofo-Mensah and how they feel about him.

“I think each situation is unique to itself,” Wilf said. “I wouldn’t read anything into it.”

After being hired in January 2022 and February 2022, respectively, Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell have worked together to put the Vikings on a path that they hope ends with them winning the Super Bowl.

The competitive rebuild seems to be nearing its final stages as the Vikings recently went on a $300 million spending spree designed to put unproven quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the best position to succeed.

“We’ve got a great culture in place where can compete on a regular basis,” Wilf said. “The football leadership we have gives us confidence, and it should give our fans confidence that we’re heading in that direction.”

Briefly

The hope from the Vikings is that TCO Performance center will be the host to joint practices with both the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams this summer. Nothing will be set in stone until the NFL approves it.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Kevin O’Connell pulled up a chair in the courtyard of a swanky hotel adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean.

It marked the first time O’Connell has spoken to local reporters about an offseason that has — for better or for worse — been completely overshadowed by Aaron Rodgers rumors despite the fact the Vikings massively improved their roster via a $300 million spending spree.

Asked about the elephant in the room Monday morning at the NFL Owners Meetings, O’Connell confirmed that he has talked to Rodgers before immediately shifting the focus to the future face of the franchise, whom the Vikings selected with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

“We’ve had a quarterback plan in place with J.J. McCarthy and we really like where he’s at in that journey,” O’Connell said. “That’s kind of where we left things and very much looking forward to what’s to come.”

The most interesting nugget O’Connell offered up in regards to Rodgers specifically was that the future Hall of Fame quarterback actually reached out to the Vikings about potentially playing for them.

Not the other way around.

It’s also worth noting O’Connell said he kept McCarthy in the loop “almost borderline in real time” about any sort of communication he was having with Rodgers. It was extremely important to O’Connell that he was open and honest with everybody involved.

“We were able to have some conversations on the hunt to always improve our football team,” O’Connell said. “You’re constantly acknowledging and evaluating all of the opportunities that may be out there.”

Ultimately, the Vikings decided to move forward with McCarthy’s progression as the primary focus.

“I feel really, really positive about the path we’re going to take,” O’Connell said. “It’s a responsibility for me as the playcaller to make sure I’m building that rapport in addition to demanding a standard of the position from a very early time here with J.J.”

That process of the Vikings finding out where exactly McCarthy is from a developmental standpoint starts this spring when players return to TCO Performance Center for organized team activities.

That will be a big step for McCarthy, considering he hasn’t practiced with his teammates since last summer when he suffered a torn meniscus during an exhibition game between the Vikings and the Las Vegas Raiders.

It should help matters that the Vikings have done everything in their power in free agency to put McCarthy in the best position to succeed by signing Ryan Kelly and Will Fries to fortify the trenches on the offensive end and signing Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave to add more disruptors on defense.

It’s not hard to envision McCarthy stepping into the spotlight and immediately having success. That’s a big reason the Vikings decided to table discussions with Rodgers in the present as they set their sights on the future.

“Now we’ve got to go to work and do it,” O’Connell said. “Talking about it in March and April doesn’t do a whole lot.”

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