Migrant teens line up for a class in San Benito, Texas, in August 29, 2019.
Federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Health and Human Services made unannounced visits in June to several DC-area legal aid nonprofits dedicated to representing unaccompanied immigrant children.
According to media reports, the agents asked for documents and financial records relating to the organizations’ child clients from Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), Amica, and Ayuda. Leaders from the targeted organizations and immigrants’ rights advocates see these unannounced visits as an intimidation tactic by the Trump administration. The requests were made without any warrants or subpoenas, and the groups did not provide any records. Administration officials have not explained the visits, except to say that they generally would not confirm or deny the existence of an ongoing investigation.
Several nonprofit organizations representing immigrant children claim the government owes millions of dollars in reimbursements for legal services provided to unaccompanied children under government contract. US law mandates that the government “ensure[s], to the greatest extent practicable,” that unaccompanied immigrant children receive legal representation. For years, Human Rights Watch has documented the importance of immigration attorneys helping children facing deportation navigate the complexity of US immigration law and the dangers of their detention. Underscoring the increased importance of representation for immigrant children today, ProPublica recently reported that unaccompanied children are being detained and deported at about three times the rate they were during the previous Trump administration.
The Trump administration’s effort to dramatically ramp up the number of deportations has impacted children, as seen when the administrat
