Judge Weighs $158 Million Trump Plan to Replace Migrant Child Legal Aid With Our Rescue
Updated
Updated · KQED · Aug 18
Judge Weighs $158 Million Trump Plan to Replace Migrant Child Legal Aid With Our Rescue
2 articles · Updated · KQED · Aug 18
Summary
A federal judge in Oakland is assessing whether the Trump administration can adequately replace longtime legal aid groups representing unaccompanied migrant children in immigration court.
The dispute centers on a U.S. Health and Human Services award earlier this month giving Our Rescue a $158 million contract—expandable to $244 million—despite advocates saying the group lacks child-immigration court experience.
Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto said it will keep representing 33 children even after its HHS-funded contract expired July 31, absorbing the work rather than abandoning current clients.
In a declaration last week, the government said it is seeking additional contractors and negotiating a transition deal with Acacia Center for Justice to move cases to new providers, including Our Rescue.