Unaccompanied migrant children in and outside federal custody, in Connecticut and other states, could lose access to an attorney, advocates say.
A contract between the federal government and Acacia Center for Justice, a nonprofit legal services provider that provides aid for undocumented children across the country, expired at the end of July.
Acacia says the government attempted to coerce it into providing private information on child detainees.
“Several hundred children in Connecticut, both in custody and released into their communities, will be impacted by the end of this contract, and more broadly in the Northeast, the impacts are going to be widely felt,” said Bettina Rodriguez Schlegel, the chief of staff for Acacia Center for Justice.
Acacia has said the loss is a result of an ongoing dispute over accusations the federal government withheld funds for services in an attempt to coerce the organization into releasing personal information of their clients.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is in charge of the children’s custody and care, said in a statement Friday evening that it offered Acacia a second bridge contract "based on requirements that include they provide the data on who they represent and that they bill us when they submit applications for immigration relief."
"ORR remains fully compliant with legal and regulatory obligations and does not act in any way that could dissuade a child from seeking appropriate legal relief," the agency said.
Immigrant rights advocates, as well as U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, criticized the federal government for detaining many of these children for longer than necessary. They highlighted the need for legal representation to secure their releases.
DeLauro said she recently visited a facility being used to shelter unaccompanied migrant children, the Children’s Community Programs of Connecticut in New Haven.
DeLauro said the children appeared to be well cared for. However, she said lengthy detainments can have mental impacts on children as they pass important developmental milestones and said it amounted to child abuse, referring to previous coverage from CT Insider.
“Their policy changes are affecting thousands of migrant children, some as young as 5 years old, who spend their days and their nights separated from parents and from family members for hundreds of days by intentional policies that are designed by this administration, while they wait for release to sponsors who may never be approved,” DeLauro said.
ORR said it was "taking advanced measures to ensure the safety of these minors."
The agency also said that the Trump administration is "committed to ending the exploitation of unaccompanied children, which requires thorough sponsor vetting."
Martha Stone, founder and special counsel for the Center for Children’s Advocacy, noted previous coverage by CT Insider, and said a 5-year-old girl spent 118 days in detention including in eastern Connecticut. Stone said the child is now traumatized by her experience.
“She was able to see her mother only for an hour a week,” Stone said. "She had nightmares, avoided discussion of her family and separation, struggled with anxiety and fear.”
Tess Reagan, the managing director for the Hartford office of Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), said multiple children who have left federal custody have routinely expressed anxiety. Child health advocates say those children are at great risk developing depression.
“The children we represent in detention are often scared, confused, and struggling to understand why they are still apart from their families,” Reagan said. "After months in government custody, many begin to despair. Some tell us they feel they may have no choice but to return to the very places they fled, because they no longer believe they will ever be released.”
Reagan said KIND will continue to provide legal aid as much as it can, but is calling on other attorneys for aid.
“We're hoping that our partners will step in and help us in this great time of need,” Reagan said.
