Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto v. United States Department of Health and Human Services

Juvenile Law Center joined the National Association of Counsel for Children and 20 children’s rights advocates in an amicus brief to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in a case filed by legal service providers. These attorneys represented unaccompanied immigrant children in immigration courts up until March 21, 2025.  After the Trump administration largely eliminated funding for legal representation for unaccompanied immigrant children young and deeply vulnerable children were left to represent themselves in complex immigration proceedings.

The amicus brief opposed the government’s request for a rehearing to challenge an injunction stalling the elimination of funding for legal services for immigrant children.  The brief emphasized that children have the right to meaningfully participate in immigration proceedings and dedicated legal counsel is necessary to facilitate that participation.  Moreover, the brief argued that legal counsel is vital to protect children from the well-documented, severe physical and emotional mistreatment children suffer while in custody and to mitigate the detrimental impact of ongoing separation from their families. Finally, the brief highlighted research that shows appointing counsel saves the government money because lawyers expedite case resolution, shorten the time children spend in care, and reduce more costly case outcomes.