The Trump administration has revoked funding for legal representation to nearly 26,000 unaccompanied migrant children, effectively leaving them to face immigration court without lawyers. The move, confirmed by federal grant termination notices sent to legal service providers last week, marks one of the administration’s most sweeping attacks yet on migrant protections.

Previously, these children were entitled to legal aid under a $225 million contract issued by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement. That support has now been stripped, though “Know Your Rights” orientation sessions will reportedly continue. The administration cited vague concerns about fraud and “meritless asylum claims” to justify the decision, offering no hard evidence of systemic abuse.

Immigration attorneys and rights organizations have condemned the cut as a violation of due process, warning that children as young as six will now have to represent themselves against government lawyers in high-stakes deportation hearings. “This is unconscionable. It’s not just cruel—it’s calculated,” said one attorney from a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that was impacted by the cuts.

The American Bar Association, the ACLU, and numerous human rights groups have criticized the administration’s legal rollback, warning that it will dramatically increase wrongful deportations and further traumatize children fleeing war, poverty, and persecution.

The Crustian Daily will continue monitoring the dismantling of civil protections under the Trump regime, especially as immigration enforcement intensifies and legal norms are shredded in the process.