{"id":8689,"date":"2025-03-24T12:52:57","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T16:52:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/senatedems.com\/chang\/?p=8689"},"modified":"2025-03-24T12:54:33","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T16:54:33","slug":"unaccompanied-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.senatedems.com\/chang\/2025\/03\/24\/unaccompanied-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Michigan Legislators Urge Federal Officials to Continue Funding Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ theme_builder_area=”post_content” _builder_version=”4.27.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.3″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.27.3″ _module_preset=”default” type=”4_4″ theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.3″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]
As contract deadline approaches, state policymakers send sign-on letter to Trump administration, compelling them to continue funding critical legal supports for unaccompanied migrant children
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<\/i><\/span>LANSING, Mich. (March 24, 2025) \u2014 Today, several Michigan lawmakers sent a letter to federal officials urging them to continue funding essential legal services for children who have entered the United States without a parent or legal guardian. Addressed to Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.<\/b>, and Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum<\/b>, the letter<\/a><\/u> comes in anticipation of a looming March 29 deadline when the Trump administration will decide if it will continue with a contract until 2026 that enables unaccompanied children to access legal assistance with the immigration court system.<\/div>\n

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\u201cThis is about keeping our federal officials accountable and upholding our country\u2019s moral responsibility in welcoming those fleeing danger, desperation, and persecution around the globe. Cutting off legal support for unaccompanied children navigating the complex immigration court system would jeopardize the safety of 26,000 toddlers and kids who have already <\/i>experienced unimaginable trauma, exposing them to higher risks of trafficking, exploitation, and other harm,\u201d said. Sen. Stephanie Chang <\/b>(D-Detroit), one of the Senators who spearheaded the effort behind the sign-on letter. \u201cWe’re calling on the Trump administration to do the right thing and continue funding for these crucial services so that these children can access the legal protections they are entitled to under federal law.\u201d<\/p>\n

As children who have fled abuse, abandonment, persecution in their home country, or crime or human trafficking, unaccompanied children have various legal options that allow them to remain in the United States. However, due to their age, developmental stage, and communication and comprehension constraints, it is nearly impossible for these children to navigate the nuances of the immigration court system without support from a legal attorney. The services funded by this federal contract offer critical legal support and representation for these children \u2014 a quarter of whom are younger than 12 years old \u2014 so they have better access to a fair legal process and greater opportunity at securing the relief they are entitled to under immigration law. It has been shown that with <\/i>legal representation, unaccompanied minors are seven times<\/a><\/u><\/i> more likely<\/a><\/u><\/span> to avoid deportation and remain in the United States.<\/p>\n

“You would think that the so-called \u2018pro-life\u2019 Republican party would be doing everything in their power to protect young, unaccompanied children from human trafficking, exploitation, and other forms of trauma and mistreatment \u2014 but this effort to undermine federal statutory mandates and force toddlers and kids to navigate the complexities of immigration proceedings without legal representation is the opposite of being \u2018pro-life.\u2019 It\u2019s just plain cruelty,\u201d said Sen. Mary Cavanagh<\/b> (D-Redford Twp.), another Senator who led the sign-on letter effort. \u201cThe Trump administration must uphold their moral and statutory obligation to ensure these 26,000 unaccompanied children are offered the counsel and advocacy they not only deserve but are legally entitled to.\u201d<\/p>\n

From helping them understand court proceedings, fill out forms, and know their rights to engaging with multiple government agencies, expert legal attorneys play a key role in defending these kids against a daunting court system and government prosecutors who seek to deport them. These attorneys are not only well-versed in the complexities of immigration law; they are also often trained to work with children who\u2019ve been impacted by trauma, helping connect them to vital social services that assist them in finding a school and securing health care and other benefits.<\/p>\n

The Michigan lawmakers expressed their opposition to the administration\u2019s stop-work order issued on Feb. 18, 2025, that temporarily paused the contract until it was later rescinded three days later, citing that a disruption to the contract violates the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPRA). Having been passed and reauthorized several times on a bipartisan basis, TVPRA requires the Dept. of Health and Human Services to ensure all unaccompanied children have access to legal counsel to represent them and protect them from harm.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As contract deadline approaches, state policymakers send sign-on letter to Trump administration, compelling them to continue funding critical legal supports for unaccompanied migrant children LANSING, Mich. (March 24, 2025) \u2014 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8014,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-release"],"yoast_head":"\nMichigan Legislators Urge Federal Officials to Continue Funding Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children - Senator Stephanie Chang<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Michigan Legislators Urge Federal Officials to Continue Funding Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dev.senatedems.com\/chang\/2025\/03\/24\/unaccompanied-children\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Michigan Legislators Urge Federal Officials to Continue Funding Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Michigan Legislators Urge Federal Officials to Continue Funding Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dev.senatedems.com\/chang\/2025\/03\/24\/unaccompanied-children\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Senator Stephanie Chang\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-24T16:52:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-24T16:54:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dev.senatedems.com\/chang\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/06\/micapitol.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"338\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.senatedems.com\/chang\/2025\/03\/24\/unaccompanied-children\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.senatedems.com\/chang\/2025\/03\/24\/unaccompanied-children\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.senatedems.com\/chang\/#\/schema\/person\/d70eb43c43b9d6128dac1bd664ee6466\"},\"headline\":\"Michigan Legislators Urge Federal Officials to Continue Funding Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-24T16:52:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-24T16:54:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.senatedems.com\/chang\/2025\/03\/24\/unaccompanied-children\/\"},\"wordCount\":735,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.senatedems.com\/chang\/2025\/03\/24\/unaccompanied-children\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dev.senatedems.com\/chang\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/06\/micapitol.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Press Release\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.senatedems.com\/chang\/2025\/03\/24\/unaccompanied-children\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dev.senatedems.com\/chang\/2025\/03\/24\/unaccompanied-children\/\",\"name\":\"Michigan Legislators Urge Federal Officials to Continue Funding Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children - 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