A federal judge has stepped in to block an effort by the Trump administration to cut funding for legal aid programs assisting unaccompanied migrant children facing immigration proceedings.
The ruling, handed down by U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin in San Francisco, temporarily restores funding that advocates say is crucial for ensuring that 26,000 children retain access to legal representation.
“The maintenance of funding for direct legal representation services furthers the critical public interests of ensuring children have access to legal representation and protection from human trafficking,” Martinez-Olguin wrote in her decision.
The lawsuit against the administration was filed by nonprofit legal service providers after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement abruptly halted funding. The money had been funneled through the Acacia Center for Justice, which coordinated a network of 89 organizations offering legal aid to migrant children nationwide.
Sam Hsieh, a representative for the nonprofits, welcomed the ruling, emphasizing the “immense harm” that would have resulted from pulling legal support for vulnerable children.
The administration has yet to respond publicly to the judge’s order. The decision comes as part of a broader crackdown on immigration policies and humanitarian programs under Trump, who has argued that such initiatives exceed their intended scope under U.S. law.
Judge Martinez-Olguin noted that Congress has consistently allocated funds for legal representation in these cases and pointed to the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, which mandates legal counsel for unaccompanied minors. The judge indicated that the administration’s actions raise serious legal questions about whether it violated its obligations under this law.
