4-year-old migrant girl, other kids go to court in NYC with no lawyer: 'The cruelty is apparent'

[chowder66]

6. From the article....

The Trump administration on March 21 terminated part of a $200 million contract that funds attorneys and other legal services for unaccompanied children, who arrived in the United States without parents or legal guardians. While that action is being challenged in court, immigrant advocates say the impact is already being felt, as lawyer groups pull back on services – leaving some children on their own.

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The now-terminated contract paid for attorneys to represent 26,000 children across the country and “friend of the court” programs for children, which provide attorneys in court to help pro se respondents navigate the court process. The figures were provided by the Acacia Center for Justice, the nonprofit that manages the contract and doles out money to other providers across the country.

The federal contract funnels $18 million to nine legal providers across New York state to represent some 1,800 children, according to Sierra Kraft, executive director of the ICARE Coalition, a New York-based organization that advocates for expanding access to legal representation for immigrant children.

Kraft said that before the contract was terminated, she saw 30% to 40% of children in a given docket without lawyers. Now, she said, the number has increased to 50% to 60%.



There is a lot more in the article.....