Trump’s War on Immigrant Kids

The Trump regime is now targeting 26,000 children and denying them legal counsel--here's how you can help them

Yesterday I wrote about Trump’s attempts to deny due process of law to immigrants. Today I write about his attacks on child immigrants.

On Friday, the Trump administration abruptly slashed all legal services for unaccompanied migrant children. In doing so, he cut off 26,000 vulnerable kids from their legal counsel. This will force thousands of children, some too young to read or write, to represent themselves alone in court before an immigration judge and against a trained government lawyer. We cannot sit silent, and we must act now.

Let’s Address This.

Attacks on Migrant Children

If you’re like me, you're disturbed by the images of Venezuelan asylum seekers being deported to El Salvador torture camps in chains, the disappearance of Mahmoud Khalil, and the attempted deportation of Badar Khan Suri at Georgetown. This regime tests its totalitarian tactics on immigrants first.

Now they've turned their sights on children.

The Unaccompanied Children Program (UCP) provides legal services and direct representation to kids who arrive in the U.S. without a parent or legal guardian by their side, often fleeing extreme violence and persecution. In many cases, children make the dangerous journey with an older sibling, grandparent, or unrelated caretaker, who they usually are separated from upon arrival in the U.S.

Unlike criminal court, people in immigration proceedings are not guaranteed a court-appointed attorney, including unaccompanied children. Through the UCP, which began under the Republican administration of George Bush, children’s rights attorneys protect children from trafficking, abuse and exploitation. The UCP helps vulnerable kids navigate a confusing and rapidly evolving immigration system by ensuring they also received due process of law. Without this program in place, thousands of kids will be left defenseless, fast-tracked for deportation to places where they face violence, exploitation, physical and sexual abuse, and even death.

We Need You To Take Action

Now is the time to make our voices heard. Here are two meaningful actions you can take:

• Raise your voice: Contact your members of Congress and demand they fight for legal protections for immigrant children.

• Give what you can: Support national organizations like Acacia Center for Justice leading the fight and local organizations on the frontlines providing direct legal aid. Fund this work to help ensure migrant children have access to legal counsel.

The Trump Administration is betting that we’ll be too distracted, too exhausted, or too hopeless to fight back. Let’s prove them wrong.