New York Governor Ho Chou announced on August 12 that $7.25 million will be allocated to provide legal services for approximately 1,400 unaccompanied immigrant children facing deportation proceedings in the state. Of these, 251 individuals are currently in federal immigration detention facilities.
On that day, Ho Chou, along with New York City Mayor Mamdani, State Attorney General Letitia James, City Council Speaker Julie Menin, and others, announced this arrangement. The Office for New Americans under the New York State Department will sign contracts with legal service organizations, with the Hispanic Federation taking the lead in handling the cases.
This funding aims to fill the service gap that emerged after the expiration of federal contracts. The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had previously signed a contract with the Acacia Center for Justice to coordinate legal consultation and representation for over 20,000 unaccompanied children across the country in collaboration with nearly 100 organizations; the contract expired on July 31.
The HHS stated that the ORR had offered another transitional contract to Acacia, requiring them to provide information on the children they represent and to bill for work-related expenses related to submitting immigration relief applications, which Acacia declined. According to court documents, the HHS mentioned that Acacia had failed to submit verified case data to confirm that their services met the contract’s requirements, resulting in some payments being withheld.
Acacia argued that the government’s requested information, including medical assessments and the type of immigration relief the children are seeking, may be protected by attorney-client confidentiality rules. The center also claimed that the federal government owed its service network over $65 million.
The federal government later planned to provide up to $150 million to the Burke Law Group in Texas, primarily to serve children still under the care of the ORR, but the firm later withdrew. The ORR is currently seeking another organization to take over the services and has signed a temporary $20 million contract with the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) to continue until the end of the year.
New York City has also allocated funds for this cause. Mayor Mamdani disclosed that the city’s budget for this year includes $16.9 million specifically for providing legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children; with an added $30 million for immigration legal services citywide, totaling over $150 million.
Letitia James mentioned that when she served as New York City’s Public Advocate in 2015, she had represented an unaccompanied child pro bono. She recalled the numerous children in family court without parents, guardians, or lawyers. She emphasized that children should not face court proceedings alone.
Ho Chou reiterated the recent immigration policies passed in New York, including prohibiting local law enforcement agencies from signing “287(g) agreements” with the federal government to aid in civil immigration enforcement; restricting immigration enforcement officers from entering sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals, and places of worship; and allowing citizens to file complaints against government officials for violating constitutional rights. Local law enforcement agencies can still participate in federal criminal joint operations.
Regarding ICE’s recent plan to procure gloves that release electrical currents when in close contact with human skin, Ho Chou questioned the use of such equipment, citing potential violations of civil rights. Letitia James stated that if ICE personnel in New York use this gear to cause unlawful harm, her office will take legal action.