Groups Sue Federal Government over Failure to Provide Legal Representation for Children Placed into Deportation Proceedings

IBLF supports the nationwide class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of thousands of children who are appearing before the Immigration Judge and government paid trained attorneys who advocate for deportation without the assistance of an attorney. If you are aware of children who need representation before the Immigration Court, please contact IBLF (202) 296-1111.

The Suit

The American Civil Liberties Union, American Immigration Council, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, Public Counsel, and K&L Gates LLP filed a nationwide class-action lawsuit on behalf of thousands of children who are challenging the federal government's failure to provide them with legal representation as it carries out deportation hearings against them. Each year, the government initiates immigration court proceedings against thousands of children. Some of these youth grew up in the United States and have lived in the country for years, and many have fled violence and persecution in their home countries. Yes thousands of children required to appear in immigration court each year do so without an attorney. The plaintiffs in this case include: • A 10-year-old boy, his 13-year-old brother, and 15-year-old sister from El Salvador, whose father was murdered in front of their eyes. The father was targeted because he and the mother ran a rehabilitation center for people trying to leave gangs. • A 14-year-old girl who had been living with her grandparents, but was forced to flee El Salvador after being threatened and then attacked by gang members. • A 15-year-old boy who was abandoned and abused in Guatemala, and came to the United States without any family or friends. • A 16-year-old boy born in Mexico who has lived here since he was 1 year old and has had lawful status since June 2010. • A 16-year-old boy with limited communication skills and special education issues who escaped brutal violence exacted on his family in Honduras, and who has lived in Southern California since he was 8 years old. • A 17-year-old boy who fled gang violence and recruitment in Guatemala and now lives with his lawful permanent resident father in Los Angeles. All are scheduled to appear at deportation hearings without any legal representation and face a very real risk of being sent back into the perilous circumstances they left. The complaint charges the U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Health and Human Services, Executive Office for Immigration Review, and Office of Refugee Resettlement with violating the U.S. Constitution's Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause and the Immigration and Nationality Act’s provisions requiring a "full and fair hearing" before an immigration judge. It seeks to require the government to provide children with legal representation in their deportation hearings.