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BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today joined a multistate coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, et al. vs. United States Department of Health and Human Services, et al., in support of a challenge to the Trump Administration’s abrupt termination of funding for legal services for unaccompanied immigrant children. In their brief, the attorneys general urge the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to affirm the preliminary injunction issued by the district court, arguing that the Trump Administration’s termination of federal funding for legal representation undermines the efforts of Amici States in ensuring the safety of unaccompanied children.
“Children who come to the U.S. by themselves are often fleeing unimaginable violence,” said Attorney General Brown. “Without lawyers to advocate for them, these traumatized children will be left to navigate complex immigration court proceedings alone, making them far more likely to be deported – even if they have a legitimate claim to stay here in Maryland.”
The multistate coalition has a strong interest in protecting the rights of unaccompanied immigrant children, as many of these children will eventually be released to sponsors in their states. These children become important members of their communities, students in their schools, and eventually, parents of their own families. Forcing these children to spend prolonged time in federal custody will make it more difficult for them to thrive in their communities upon release. A robust body of research shows that prolonged time in immigration custody is particularly harmful for children’s physical and mental health and disrupts their development.
In the brief, the coalition urges the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to affirm the preliminary injunction issued by the district court, arguing that:
· Federal law recognizes the importance of providing legal representation to unaccompanied children in immigration proceedings;
· The termination of federal funding for legal representation for unaccompanied children will significantly increase the gaps in funding for legal services and legal service providers resulting in funding and staffing shortfall; and
· Unaccompanied children will experience various long-lasting harms without access to the multidisciplinary support and advocacy that legal representation provides.
In filing the brief, Attorney General Brown joins the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‛i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
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