Legal aid contract expiration may leave 24,000 children without representation

Advocates for youth legal services warned Wednesday that the imminent expiration of a federal contract could strip roughly 24,000 children of court-appointed representation, a loss they say would markedly increase the likelihood of expulsions from schools and detention facilities. The contract, administered by the Department of Justice’s Office of Immigration Litigation, currently funds attorneys who provide counsel to minors facing removal proceedings, disciplinary hearings, and other legal challenges. Under the agreement, which is set to lapse at the end of September, attorneys have handled an average of 1,200 cases per month, securing stays, appeals, and alternative placements for vulnerable youths.

If the contract is not renewed or replaced, the Department of Justice estimates a shortfall that could leave up to 70 percent of affected children without a lawyer, according to a briefing prepared by the advocacy coalition. Representatives from the coalition urged Congress to allocate emergency funding and urged the administration to expedite a new procurement process, emphasizing that lack of representation historically correlates with higher expulsion rates and reduced access to due process protections. The agency has not confirmed a timeline for a replacement contract, leaving stakeholders to monitor the situation closely as the deadline approaches.