A $150M contract for migrant kids’ lawyers goes to a Trump-linked Texas firm, raising concerns

Key Points:

• The Trump administration awarded a $150 million sole-source contract to the Houston-based Burke Law Group, a firm with limited immigration law experience but ties to the administration, to provide legal representation to unaccompanied migrant children in government shelters.
• Legal aid groups warn this move could leave migrant children vulnerable to deportation due to lack of experienced legal help, especially as the administration ends contracts with established legal providers and intensifies deportation efforts.
• The contract only covers children in government-run shelters, leaving about 22,000 children living with sponsors without guaranteed legal services, raising concerns about adequate representation.
• The Office of Refugee Resettlement’s recent actions, including requesting lawyers’ client information on short notice and attempts to insert new legal representatives in court without prior notice, have caused confusion and concern among attorneys and advocates.
• Legal aid providers report difficulties getting reimbursed for prior work and ethical concerns over government demands for detailed client information, amid accelerated court hearings that reduce preparation time for immigrant children’s cases.