A Monday Hearing in Harlingen, Texas
Angel, a 13-year-old from Honduras, stood before an immigration judge in Harlingen, Texas, on Monday with no attorney at his side, according to CNN's on-site report. Asked whether anything prevented him from going home, he said, "My mom and almost my entire family are here." The judge told him he did not qualify for asylum, issued a removal order and gave him until the end of the month to appeal.
He was not the only child in the room. Twenty-five minors filled the benches, some as young as 3. When the judge asked a group of 15 unrepresented children whether it was their first time in immigration court, every one answered yes, and none asked to leave voluntarily.
How Children End Up Before a Judge
The National Immigration Forum defines unaccompanied children as minors who arrive in the country or at its border with no parent or guardian and no legal status. Under federal law, immigration authorities must transfer them within 72 hours to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, a Health and Human Services agency that houses them while it looks for a sponsor, most often a relative. The Forum counted roughly 98,000 referrals to that agency in fiscal year 2024. Federal data cited by CNN put the average number of children in HHS custody at 1,883 in August, lower than in earlier years.
A Process That Has Sped Up
The Forum's 2025 overview said that pursuing relief from removal could take four years or longer. Lawyers interviewed by CNN describe a very different tempo now. Hearings once spread over months are being held within days or weeks, and asylum interviews are sometimes rescheduled with a single day's notice.
The Executive Office for Immigration Review, which runs the immigration courts, rejected the claim that cases are being fast-tracked, saying it schedules cases to keep them from stalling. Administration officials argue that the changes protect children and allow tougher vetting, CNN reported.
No Guaranteed Lawyer
Immigration proceedings are civil rather than criminal, so the government is not required to provide counsel for people who cannot pay. The Forum notes that federal law promises no paid representation for immigrants, although Congress has set aside some money for children's lawyers, and it points to studies showing that counsel is critical, especially for minors.
One provider puts numbers on the gap. Americans for Immigrant Justice says nine of every ten children without a lawyer are ordered deported, while represented children are five times more likely to win protection. The group does not date those figures and they come from its own casework, so they are best read as an advocate's estimate rather than official data.
The Contract That Lapsed in July
The biggest change came this summer. CNN reports that the administration let a contract worth $200 million a year expire in July. The Acacia Center for Justice held it and subcontracted with about 100 legal providers that, by the center's count, served more than 20,000 unaccompanied children. Under that arrangement, every child at least received a legal orientation, a consultation and a referral.
Some programs have since closed. Estrella del Paso, in El Paso, shut its program and laid off 13 of its 18 staff members, according to a court declaration cited by CNN. In early August, the Office of Refugee Resettlement awarded up to $20 million to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, known as USCRI, to provide legal services through December 31.
Months of Whiplash Before That
The Forum's timeline shows the instability began earlier. On February 18, 2025, the Interior Department, which administers the relevant federal contracts, told funded groups to stop representing unaccompanied children. It reversed course on February 21 after public criticism and a letter campaign that produced more than 15,000 messages to Congress. Two days later, ICE directed its personnel to search nationwide for unaccompanied minors with deportation in mind.
On March 21, the administration moved to end nearly all legal services for the program. On April 1, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order and directed that funding for representation be restored, the Forum reported.
Officials Point to a New Award; Advocates Have Doubts
HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard pointed CNN to the USCRI award as proof of the department's commitment to legal help for children, adding that the refugee office intends every child in its custody to have counsel.
Court declarations paint a more troubled picture. Attorneys and advocates wrote that USCRI lawyers were either absent or silent as children appeared before judges. The declarations were filed in the lawsuit challenging the original termination, and USCRI did not respond to CNN's request for comment. At Monday's hearing, a USCRI attorney joined by video and said nothing while serving in a supporting role before the court for several children, Angel among them, according to Lauren Fisher Flores, legal director of ProBar.
Nonprofits Carry the Load
ProBar, which serves children across 17 facilities in South Texas, still represents the clients it already had, but its capacity for new cases is limited. It opened a hotline that has taken more than 200 calls since early August. In one court declaration, the group described a 7-year-old who appeared without a lawyer in August and was ordered to leave voluntarily within 30 days. CNN also reports that many children are choosing to depart voluntarily, drawn by a $3,000 stipend offered by the Department of Homeland Security.
In Florida, Americans for Immigrant Justice runs a Children's Legal Program that offers free services to immigrant children, many of whom have suffered abuse, abandonment or neglect. The group says it alone holds federal authorization to provide legal services to detained children in South Florida shelters, and it also serves children living in the community with parents, guardians or foster families. The program is funded in part by The Children's Trust, a Miami-Dade revenue source created by a voter referendum. The group's page does not say how July's contract expiration has affected that authorization.
What Comes Next
The USCRI award runs only through December 31, and the lawsuit over the earlier termination is still active, according to CNN. Until Congress or the courts guarantee counsel, or funding stabilizes, children like Angel will keep answering legal questions on their own, often in a few minutes and with their futures at stake.
