Law Firm with Ties to Trump Administration Declines Offer to Represent Migrant Children
ORR said services for unaccompanied children will continue through Dec. 31, 2026, as it seeks another provider after Burke withdrew.
- On Wednesday, the Houston-based Burke Law Group declined a $150 million federal contract to represent unaccompanied migrant children, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement confirmed the firm withdrew from consideration.
- After contracts with nearly 100 providers expired at the end of July, the administration announced plans to award Burke Law Group a no-bid contract to fill the resulting service gap in legal representation.
- Burke Law Group, with fewer than 30 lawyers and only two with immigration experience, drew immediate advocacy concern; founder Marcella Burke served in President Donald Trump's first administration at the EPA and Interior Department.
- ORR awarded a $20 million temporary contract through December 31, 2026 to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants; however, attorneys appeared unannounced in immigration court last week, sparking confusion.
- It remains unclear how representation will continue after USCRI's contract expires, as attorney Caelin Moriarity Miltko argued interim contracts are 'not sufficient' to comply with court orders given providers' ethical obligations to current clients.
24 Articles
24 Articles
A Small Texas Law Firm Backs Out of HHS Contract After Backlash
A spokesperson for the Office of Refugee Resettlement confirmed to NOTUS that Burke Law Group had declined to apply for a grant. Jose Luis Magana/AP PhotoA small Houston-based law firm announced this week that it had withdrawn itself from consideration for a federal contract, worth up to $150 million, to facilitate legal representation for unaccompanied minors.Last week, President Donald Trump’s administration quietly unveiled its intent to awar…
McALLEN, Texas, U.S. (AP) — A small Texas law firm linked to President Donald Trump’s government rejected a $150 million federal contract to represent migrant children who entered the United States without an adult company, authorities said Wednesday, raising long-term doubts about who will represent them. The government announced last week a plan to award the contract to Burke Law Group, a Houston-based office with little immigration experience.
Associated Press News
Law firm with ties to Trump administration declines offer to represent migrant children
A Houston-based law firm tapped to receive a $150 million federal contract to provide legal representation for hundreds of unaccompanied immigrant children in federal custody has dropped out.
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