Los Angeles, CA, February 19, 2025—Yesterday, the Department of the Interior issued a stop-work order to the Acacia Center for Justice, cutting off critical legal services for unaccompanied immigrant children. These children arrived in the U.S. without a parent or legal guardian, and many have experienced abuse, abandonment, or neglect. This decision jeopardizes the representation of approximately 26,000 children with pending immigration cases.
Gina Amato Lough, Directing Attorney of Public Counsel’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, issued the following statement to denounce the administration’s decision and call for the immediate restoration of legal services for unaccompanied immigrant children.
“Public Counsel condemns the Trump Administration’s abrupt and cruel decision to halt federal funding for legal services that protect unaccompanied children fleeing violence and trauma. This stop-work order directly jeopardizes our work, as we receive over $1 million annually from Acacia to represent more than 200 vulnerable children each year—some so young they can barely recite their ABCs. Now, these children, along with thousands more across the country, face the unimaginable prospect of navigating immigration court alone.
“For decades, Public Counsel has worked to ensure these children receive not just legal representation, but also the critical support—education, health care, and safety—necessary for them to rebuild their lives. Ending these services strips away due process, denies children a chance to seek refuge from violence, and places them in immediate danger of deportation to the very conditions they fled. We will not back down. We stand firm in our commitment to protect immigrant children’s rights and call on all who share these values to join us in restoring these essential legal protections. No child should ever be forced to face court alone.”
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Public Counsel is a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to advancing civil rights and racial and economic justice, as well as to amplifying the power of our clients through comprehensive legal advocacy. Founded on and strengthened by a pro bono legal service model, our staff and volunteers seek justice through direct legal services, promote healthy and resilient communities through education and outreach, and support community-led efforts to transform unjust systems through litigation and policy advocacy in and beyond Los Angeles.
