Why It Matters
The expiration of a federal contract providing legal representation to unaccompanied immigrant children in Wisconsin and across the country will leave thousands of minors without attorneys in immigration court proceedings, where those without representation win asylum or legal status at rates below 10 percent.
What Happened
A federal contract supplying legal aid to unaccompanied immigrant children expires at midnight Saturday after the Trump administration declined to renew it. The contract, administered through the Acacia Center for Justice, has served more than 20,000 unaccompanied minors nationwide and distributed federal funding to roughly 100 nonprofit organizations providing representation.
The administration withheld $65 million in reimbursements to the Acacia Center for more than six months after attorneys refused to provide sensitive case data including medical records and information about the types of legal relief sought by clients. On Wednesday, government officials submitted a solicitation notice, giving the center limited time to transition services.
Bryan Chavez, now a case worker at the Immigration Defenders Law Center in Wisconsin, was separated from his mother and brother at the southern border in 2017 during the first Trump administration’s family separation policy. At 15, he was detained in a children’s facility. “Everything changed when attorneys from (the Immigration Defenders Law Center) arrived,” Chavez told the Wisconsin Examiner. “For the first time, someone explained what was happening.”
The Trump administration is considering contracting legal services to a small Texas state commission that provides low-income criminal defense representation, a shift that advocates warn would fundamentally alter the nature of representation available to immigrant children.
By the Numbers
20,000+ — unaccompanied immigrant children served under the expiring contract
Fewer than 10% — rate at which immigrant children without legal representation win asylum or remain in the U.S.
$65 million — federal reimbursements withheld for more than six months
~100 — nonprofit organizations receiving distributed federal funding through the Acacia Center
Zoom Out
Access to legal representation has long been a critical variable in immigration court outcomes. Children face particular vulnerability in deportation proceedings: they often lack understanding of legal processes, have limited ability to navigate complex immigration law, and may lack family members or advocates to support them. The gap between representation rates and success rates underscores the role attorneys play in ensuring due process.
The contract dispute reflects broader tensions between the Trump administration and nonprofit legal service providers over data sharing and case transparency. Attorneys have resisted demands to disclose sensitive information about clients, citing attorney-client privilege and privacy concerns. The administration views such data as necessary for case oversight and enforcement priorities.
What’s Next
As of Saturday midnight, the federal contract expires and legal services funded through it will cease. Immigrant children currently represented will face disruption in their cases, and organizations that have relied on federal reimbursement will lose revenue. The administration’s consideration of a Texas-based entity to handle future contracts suggests a significant operational and philosophical shift in how legal services are procured and delivered. Advocacy groups are expected to challenge the transition in court and press Congress for emergency funding to continue services during any gap.