Tens of thousands of unaccompanied immigrant children across the country will no longer have legal representation after July 31.
It’s due to the Trump administration’s decision to allow a multi-million-dollar annual contract to expire on Friday that pays for the legal services of unaccompanied immigrant children who are facing deportation.
“If I had been forced to return to Mexico, I do not believe I would be alive today,” said Bryan Chavez.
Chavez, a former unaccompanied child, fled Mexico with his family over fears from speaking out against the Mexican government.
He was separated from his mother for three years during the first Trump administration in 2017 due to the administration’s zero-tolerance policy.
An immigration attorney helped to reunite them.
“These children are not criminals,” said Chavez. “They are children seeking safety. They deserve dignity, protection, and a fair chance to be heard. For many of them, an attorney can be the difference between fear and hope, separation and reunification, and even life and death.”
Chavez was one of several speakers who spoke out Friday in a press conference held by the Acacia Center, a national nonprofit that currently operates publicly funded programs through a network of nearly 100 organizations which help unaccompanied immigrant children.
A legal expert told Spectrum News 1, since immigration proceedings are classified as civil proceedings and not criminal, there is no right to an attorney; and there are often little resources for people who don’t speak English and who don’t have an attorney.
According to the Acacia Center, around 20,000 unaccompanied children will be impacted nationwide, and around 1,400 for the state of New York.
“At the same time the children could lose their representation, the government is withholding payment for work that has already been performed in order to extract confidential information about kids,” said Bilal Askaryar, director of communications for the Acacia Center for Justice. “Information that the government has no right to.”
According to the center, the federal government has withheld payment since December 2025.
In a statement to Spectrum News 1, the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement said in part:
“The current bridge contract with Acacia ends on July 31, 2026. ORR offered Acacia the opportunity to receive a second bridge based on requirements that include they provide the data on who they represent and that they bill us when they submit applications for immigration relief. Acacia refused to accept this bridge.”
During the 2025 and 2026 New York legislative sessions, Democratic state Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi introduced a proposal that if passed would provide support and services for unaccompanied minors with no lawful immigration status including legal representation.
In a statement to Spectrum News 1, Hevesi said in part:
“The bill I have proposed in the state legislature will do the exact opposite of the short-sighted and stupid action of the Trump administration. This bill will ensure unaccompanied children placed in New York custody will have access to higher education, work authorization, and become productive members of society.”
Advocates say other concerns they have with the expiration of this federal contract include the safety of the children since they won’t have an attorney to check on them. Also, they’re concerned the shelters that house the unaccompanied children may close their doors leaving them without a place to stay.
The federal Office of Refugee Resettlement oversees New York shelters for unaccompanied immigrant minors.
The ORR tells Spectrum News 1: “The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) works to ensure the safety, well-being, and appropriate care of all children in its custody. ORR remains fully compliant with legal and regulatory obligations and does not act in any way that could dissuade a child from seeking appropriate legal relief.”