Statement from the Alliance to End Human Trafficking on the Decision to Halt Legal Aid for Unaccompanied Migrant Children
In response to the recent order by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services vacating vital services to unaccompanied minors–some as young as toddlers, Alliance to End Human Trafficking Executive Director Katie Boller Gosewisch issued the following statement:
“The decision to halt government-funded legal services for unaccompanied migrant children is deeply troubling. Without support, including legal services, children face an increased risk of human trafficking, abuse, and wrongful deportation to dangerous conditions. Legal service and other support providers have long played a critical role in ensuring that unaccompanied children receive fair hearings and protection under the law. This policy decision effectively abandons some of the most vulnerable individuals in our immigration system and leaves them vulnerable to a myriad of abuses, including being trafficked for labor or sex.”
The Alliance to End Human Trafficking stands with legal service providers and advocates working to uphold the rights of migrant children. We urge our members to contact their Representatives and Senators calling on Secretary Kennedy to reinstate these protections and services.