New York State Steps In With $7.25M for Migrant Children's Legal Aid

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday that the state will provide $7.25 million to cover legal services for approximately 1,400 unaccompanied immigrant children. The funding comes in response to the Trump administration's decision not to renew federal contracts with the Acacia Center for Justice and nearly 100 other legal services providers that represent minors in immigration proceedings.

Hochul criticized the federal move, saying it harms innocent children. She noted that a 2008 bipartisan law, signed by Republican President George W. Bush, required legal protection for unaccompanied minors because without it they face higher risks of trafficking, abuse, and being returned to dangerous situations.

"These cruel, depraved decisions can be a death warrant for our kids," Hochul said, adding that the children's only fault was being born in poverty or in countries torn by political violence.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also spoke at the briefing, pointing out that the federal government's refusal to renew contracts and its withholding of more than $65 million in payments have abruptly ended legal representation for over 25,000 unaccompanied children nationwide. He noted that without legal help, fewer than 1% of immigrant children receive immigration relief.

Mamdani accused the federal government of selecting replacement firms that lack credibility, citing one organization whose founder and former CEO, a retired ICE agent, resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations. He called the contract refusal "nothing less than a deportation order for children as young as five years old."

Both leaders pledged that New York City and State will not stand by. "We will confront these horrors and this pain with the action and solidarity that it demands," Mamdani said.