New York provides $7.25M for legal services for immigrant children facing removal proceedings

New York will fund legal services for approximately 1,400 unaccompanied immigrant children who are facing active removal proceedings, including the more than 250 young people who are currently detained, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday. The $7.25 million in funding will help vulnerable children access legal representation after the Trump administration allowed a nationwide federal contract providing legal services for over 24,000 unaccompanied migrant children to expire on July 31. The new state funding will ensure all children in active removal proceedings have access to representation.

The federal government has been required by law to protect immigrant children and provide necessary legal representation to unaccompanied minors. The Trump administration has not shown an intent to uphold this requirement with replacement contracts, creating instability for children, who are more likely to be trafficked, abused, and otherwise placed in vulnerable positions.

The New York State Office for New Americans (ONA), the nation’s first statutorily created immigrant services office, is executing $7.25 million in contracts in partnership with a group of legal services providers led by the Hispanic Federation to support children who were previously aided by the federal program.

“No child in our state should ever face the fear and uncertainty of the immigration process without advocates and legal support in their corner,” Hochul said.

“While the Trump Administration is walking away from these children, New York is stepping up to help bridge the gap and ensure their continued access to the services they need and deserve. When we lose sight of our shared responsibility to protect children, we lose sight of who we are as a country, and as Governor, I will not let that happen.”

Following an unprecedented escalation in aggressive federal immigration enforcement, Governor Hochul signed one of the nation’s most comprehensive set of laws to prevent this overreach by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agents, including laws that:

• Prohibit local law enforcement from being deputized by ICE for federal civil immigration enforcement by eliminating 287(g) agreements, barring state and local police from acting as civil immigration agents, or using taxpayer-funded resources or personnel to carry out federal civil immigration enforcement and detention.
• Establish a state right to sue federal, state, and local officials, including ICE officers, for constitutional violations.
• Deny ICE permission to enter sensitive locations—including schools, libraries, health care facilities, polling locations, and homes—without a judicial warrant.
• Strictly prohibit the use of state, local, or school civil resources—including employee time—for civil immigration enforcement activities.
• Ensure all students can access education without fear of ICE interference, codifying the right to a free public education regardless of immigration status.

Advocates for stronger state legislation have called for the creation of a right to legal representation in immigration courts for any immigrants at risk of deportation. Advocates have also pointed out that the state laws do not restrict unofficial communications between law enforcement and ICE the way New York City’s sanctuary laws do.

“New York will never stand by while vulnerable children are left to navigate our immigration system alone,” Attorney General Letitia James said.

“We will continue fighting to protect immigrant New Yorkers and push back against federal overreach that puts families and communities at risk. Every New Yorker deserves a fair day in court and access to justice, and I thank Governor Hochul for taking the initiative to fund these critical legal services.”

RELATED:

• Mayor’s audit shows aggressive ICE tactics are on the rise in NYC, with arrests up 71 percent
• What makes New York a sanctuary city—and is its status under threat?
• Mamdani releases blueprint to build 200,000 new affordable homes, target bad landlords
• First city-owned grocery store to open next year at mixed-use development in Hunts Point