Federal contract for unaccompanied child legal aid expires

A federal contract that funds legal representation for tens of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children in the United States expired on Friday, July 31, 2026, raising immediate concerns that children will be forced to navigate complex immigration court proceedings alone, increasing their risk of deportation. The contract, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement, paid a national network of approximately 90 to 100 nonprofit legal groups to provide services to roughly 24,000 children nationwide.

With the contract's expiration, legal providers say they face an uncertain future, unsure if they will retain access to government-funded shelters to meet with their young clients starting next week. Melissa Lopez, executive director of Estrella El Paso, which serves children in western Texas and New Mexico, said the government has not identified who will take over the representation. She warned that without attorneys, children will be far more likely to be deported back to countries they fled.

The situation is compounded by a separate financial dispute. Legal service organizations allege the Trump administration has withheld more than...