IJC Decries the Stop-Work Order of the Unaccompanied Children Program 

New York – On February 18, the federal government issued a stop-work order to the Acacia Center for Justice to pause services on the Unaccompanied Children Program. The order affects over 90 legal service providers, including IJC, which together represent over 26,000 unaccompanied immigrant children in immigration court proceedings. Over 160 IJC Fellows are part of the Unaccompanied Children Program. 

“Forcing a child to stand alone in court while government attorneys exploit the complexity of the immigration system against them is a grave injustice,” said Jojo Annobil, IJC’s CEO. “Many of these children have fled violence, trafficking, and persecution—now they must also fight for their futures without anyone to defend their rights.  

“Stripping children of legal counsel in removal proceedings betrays our fundamental commitment to due process,” Mr. Annobil added. “The federal government must immediately restore funding for the Unaccompanied Children Program to prevent irreversible harm. Anything less is an abdication of our moral and legal responsibilities.”