Legal groups that help migrant children say law enforcement visits were attempt at intimidation
The groups say agents sought financial records without warrants as the administration pursues fraud cases and owes one provider $20 million.
- Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Health and Human Services visited Washington-area offices of legal aid groups on Wednesday and Thursday, seeking financial records without warrants in what organizations described as a campaign of intimidation.
- The Trump administration has recently attempted to cut funding for non-governmental legal groups providing aid to unaccompanied migrant children, a move advocates describe as part of a broader, systematic attack on immigrant children's legal rights.
- Michael Lukens, head of Amica, stated agents visited Thursday without warrants, while KIND reports the government owes $20 million for completed services, straining organizations that have represented 14,000 immigrant children since their founding.
- Paula Fitzgerald, executive director at Ayuda, said agents requested billing invoices Wednesday, prompting her to require written correspondence, while the HHS Office of Inspector General stated they generally do not confirm or deny investigations.
- Legal protections for migrant children date back to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2008, which facilitated representation for children in deportation proceedings, though critics argue recent documentation requirements have created a 'paperwork barrier'.
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ICE Tries To Raid Legal Offices, Demanding Files On Migrant Children
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents attempted to raid the offices of attorneys for unaccompanied migrant children this week, lawyers tell The Lever, the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s attempt to collect sensitive data on children in the U.S. immigration system.As The Lever first reported last week, the legal services providers for unaccompanied migrant children — who represent the youth in deportation proceedings — …
Associated Press News
Legal groups that help migrant children say law enforcement visits were attempt at intimidation
Organizations providing legal aid to unaccompanied migrant children say agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Health and Human Services attempted to enter their offices.
Various organizations that provide legal assistance to immigrant minors in the United States reported recent visits by federal agents to their offices, which they consider to be part of a strategy of pressure and intimidation against those who defend migrant children who came to the country alone. According to N+ Univision, the events occurred in Washington, D.C., and have generated concern among immigrant rights defenders. YOU CAN SEE: MAXIMUM …
Organizations that provide legal assistance to children who arrived alone in the United States indicated that ICE and DHS agents tried to enter their offices, in what the groups said is part of a campaign to intimidate legal service providers.
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