USA restores legal services for migrant children after civil groups

The government of Donald Trump Restored the Children’s Legal Services Program migrants Not accompanied in the United States after the pressure of civil groups after cancellation this week, the Acacia Center for Justice reported Friday.

The organization specified in a statement that it has received a government authorization to immediately resume their work providing legal representation and access to justice to these minors.

At least 26,000 immigrant children, including some too young to read or talk, would have been affected with the measure.

Shaina Aberexecutive director of the organization, stressed the importance of restoring these services, stressing that many of the minors who arrive in the country without the company of a father or guardian have been victims of violence, abuse, persecution or trafficking.

“It is unthinkable that they must represent themselves in immigration cuts against government lawyers without even having adequate orientation about their legal options”He said Aber.

Until September only 15% of immigrants, including children Not accompanied, they had a lawyer to help them in the cases of an immigration court when a deportation order was issued, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC).

The data collected by this center of the University of Syracuse, in New York they detail that there are more than 3.7 million pending cases in immigration courts, of which 1.7 million are formal asylum requests.

The lifting of the order that temporarily arrested the representation program for unaccompanied children will allow the Acacia Center for Justice Continue working together with the Department of Health and Human Services to guarantee due process of minors.

He Acacia Center for Justice He pointed out that the decision occurs after an intense mobilization of activists and citizens, who in the last two days sent more than 15,000 letters to Congress demanding the restitution of the program.

“Removing legal assistance to children, some of whom cannot even articulate their own defense, it is a violation of basic human rights”, Said the Latin vote organization.

Aber emphasized that, although significant advance has been achieved, there is still much to ensure that no child in front of the US migratory system.