Kids in Need of Defense
@supportkind.org
For over 15 years, we’ve been at the forefront of protecting unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children worldwide, defending their rights and safety.
U.S. federal agencies are increasingly coordinating policies that make it harder for unaccompanied children to reunify with family, access legal representation, seek protection, and avoid prolonged detention.
When protections are weakened at every stage, children face the consequences.
When protections are weakened at every stage, children face the consequences.
Trump ally Stephen Miller leads sweeping push to accelerate removal of migrant children
Exclusive: key White House loyalist orchestrating multi-agency effort condemned by critics as cruel and racist
www.theguardian.com
September 21, 2026 at 7:15 PM
U.S. federal agencies are increasingly coordinating policies that make it harder for unaccompanied children to reunify with family, access legal representation, seek protection, and avoid prolonged detention.
When protections are weakened at every stage, children face the consequences.
When protections are weakened at every stage, children face the consequences.
An 11-year-old waited nine hours for his U.S. immigration court case to be called.
He was one of 25 children in a mass virtual hearing. About half had lawyers. He did not.
Children should not be expected to navigate the immigration system alone. Access to legal counsel is critical to due process.
He was one of 25 children in a mass virtual hearing. About half had lawyers. He did not.
Children should not be expected to navigate the immigration system alone. Access to legal counsel is critical to due process.
Nine hours in front of a computer: An 11-year-old waits his turn in a mass hearing for migrant minors
An activist recounts accompanying the boy through the long wait for his appearance before an immigration judge after the federal government cut funding for organizations that provide legal representat...
english.elpais.com
September 17, 2026 at 8:55 PM
An 11-year-old waited nine hours for his U.S. immigration court case to be called.
He was one of 25 children in a mass virtual hearing. About half had lawyers. He did not.
Children should not be expected to navigate the immigration system alone. Access to legal counsel is critical to due process.
He was one of 25 children in a mass virtual hearing. About half had lawyers. He did not.
Children should not be expected to navigate the immigration system alone. Access to legal counsel is critical to due process.
On U.S. #CitizenshipDay, we’re reminded why pathways to citizenship matter. For unaccompanied children, they offer the stability, safety, and fully belong in the communities they now call home. Protecting those pathways helps make that future possible.
September 17, 2026 at 3:10 PM
On U.S. #CitizenshipDay, we’re reminded why pathways to citizenship matter. For unaccompanied children, they offer the stability, safety, and fully belong in the communities they now call home. Protecting those pathways helps make that future possible.
Children are being given as little as 3 weeks to find a lawyer as their immigration cases move forward.
Meanwhile, asylum grant rates for unaccompanied children fell to about 1.5% in July.
Due process cannot be rushed. Children deserve a fair chance to make their case.
Meanwhile, asylum grant rates for unaccompanied children fell to about 1.5% in July.
Due process cannot be rushed. Children deserve a fair chance to make their case.
Asylum Grant Rates Plummet for Migrant Children in Removal Cases
Unaccompanied children who appear before immigration judges have less than a 2% chance of getting their asylum claim approved, according to preliminary analysis of court data since President Donald Tr...
news.bloomberglaw.com
September 9, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Children are being given as little as 3 weeks to find a lawyer as their immigration cases move forward.
Meanwhile, asylum grant rates for unaccompanied children fell to about 1.5% in July.
Due process cannot be rushed. Children deserve a fair chance to make their case.
Meanwhile, asylum grant rates for unaccompanied children fell to about 1.5% in July.
Due process cannot be rushed. Children deserve a fair chance to make their case.
Now more than ever, unaccompanied and separated children need protection systems that uphold their rights and help them reach safety and stability, especially when they have been forced to flee violence, persecution, conflict, or abuse.
August 28, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Now more than ever, unaccompanied and separated children need protection systems that uphold their rights and help them reach safety and stability, especially when they have been forced to flee violence, persecution, conflict, or abuse.
Children are being given as little as three weeks to find a lawyer before their immigration cases move forward.
Reducing a court backlog can't mean rushing children through proceedings they don't understand and expecting them to navigate the system alone.
Reducing a court backlog can't mean rushing children through proceedings they don't understand and expecting them to navigate the system alone.
Immigration Judges Speed Through Migrant Children Removal Cases
A Guatemalan teen learned in a Manhattan immigration court hearing that he had just under two weeks to complete an asylum application — in a language he didn’t know.
news.bloomberglaw.com
August 25, 2026 at 7:23 PM
Children are being given as little as three weeks to find a lawyer before their immigration cases move forward.
Reducing a court backlog can't mean rushing children through proceedings they don't understand and expecting them to navigate the system alone.
Reducing a court backlog can't mean rushing children through proceedings they don't understand and expecting them to navigate the system alone.
A 1-year-old was told to file an asylum application or risk deportation. An attorney was reportedly in the courtroom but did not intervene.
That is not meaningful representation.
Children need lawyers who know their cases and advocate for them, not simply courtroom coverage.
That is not meaningful representation.
Children need lawyers who know their cases and advocate for them, not simply courtroom coverage.
Judge to Baby: File an Asylum Application
The 1-year-old is one of the migrant children who advocates say appeared in immigration court without legal representation.
www.notus.org
August 24, 2026 at 3:45 PM
A 1-year-old was told to file an asylum application or risk deportation. An attorney was reportedly in the courtroom but did not intervene.
That is not meaningful representation.
Children need lawyers who know their cases and advocate for them, not simply courtroom coverage.
That is not meaningful representation.
Children need lawyers who know their cases and advocate for them, not simply courtroom coverage.
Systems meant to protect unaccompanied children are now feeding detention and deportation instead.
Longer custody. Sponsor arrests. Child-welfare information used for enforcement. Weakened access to counsel.
Every child deserves due process, protection, and a chance at safety.
Longer custody. Sponsor arrests. Child-welfare information used for enforcement. Weakened access to counsel.
Every child deserves due process, protection, and a chance at safety.
August 20, 2026 at 8:11 PM
Systems meant to protect unaccompanied children are now feeding detention and deportation instead.
Longer custody. Sponsor arrests. Child-welfare information used for enforcement. Weakened access to counsel.
Every child deserves due process, protection, and a chance at safety.
Longer custody. Sponsor arrests. Child-welfare information used for enforcement. Weakened access to counsel.
Every child deserves due process, protection, and a chance at safety.
New policies are making it harder for unaccompanied children to pursue legal protections—and could move deportation cases forward before their claims are fully resolved.
Children deserve a meaningful chance to seek protection and due process.
Children deserve a meaningful chance to seek protection and due process.
The Trump administration is reducing legal pathways for immigrant kids to stay in the US
A flurry of Justice Department rulings are starting to impact the deportation proceedings of thousands of children.
www.politico.com
August 17, 2026 at 9:12 PM
New policies are making it harder for unaccompanied children to pursue legal protections—and could move deportation cases forward before their claims are fully resolved.
Children deserve a meaningful chance to seek protection and due process.
Children deserve a meaningful chance to seek protection and due process.
Teachers can change what school feels like for immigrant students.
For 40+ years, Plyler v. Doe has helped protect children’s right to attend public school, regardless of immigration status.
But the #RighttoLearn must mean more than a seat in the classroom.
For 40+ years, Plyler v. Doe has helped protect children’s right to attend public school, regardless of immigration status.
But the #RighttoLearn must mean more than a seat in the classroom.
August 17, 2026 at 4:11 PM
Teachers can change what school feels like for immigrant students.
For 40+ years, Plyler v. Doe has helped protect children’s right to attend public school, regardless of immigration status.
But the #RighttoLearn must mean more than a seat in the classroom.
For 40+ years, Plyler v. Doe has helped protect children’s right to attend public school, regardless of immigration status.
But the #RighttoLearn must mean more than a seat in the classroom.
Children deserve legal representation.
New York’s $7.25M investment will support legal services for 1,400 unaccompanied children and youth, including 250+ in detention.
Thank you, @governor.ny.gov for helping ensure children have lawyers beside them in immigration court.
https://on.ny.gov/4bQ2OKR
New York’s $7.25M investment will support legal services for 1,400 unaccompanied children and youth, including 250+ in detention.
Thank you, @governor.ny.gov for helping ensure children have lawyers beside them in immigration court.
https://on.ny.gov/4bQ2OKR
Governor Hochul, Mayor Mamdani and Attorney General James Stand Up to ICE Overreach and Reaffirm Protections for New Yorkers
Governor Hochul, Mayor Kwame Mamdani and Attorney General James stood together against the Trump Administration’s aggressive federal immigration enforcement and reminded New Yorkers of their rights an...
on.ny.gov
August 13, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Children deserve legal representation.
New York’s $7.25M investment will support legal services for 1,400 unaccompanied children and youth, including 250+ in detention.
Thank you, @governor.ny.gov for helping ensure children have lawyers beside them in immigration court.
https://on.ny.gov/4bQ2OKR
New York’s $7.25M investment will support legal services for 1,400 unaccompanied children and youth, including 250+ in detention.
Thank you, @governor.ny.gov for helping ensure children have lawyers beside them in immigration court.
https://on.ny.gov/4bQ2OKR
Children as young as 7 are appearing in immigration court without lawyers.
POLITICO shows the consequences: children navigating complex proceedings, translation errors going unchallenged and cases with life-changing stakes moving forward without counsel.
POLITICO shows the consequences: children navigating complex proceedings, translation errors going unchallenged and cases with life-changing stakes moving forward without counsel.
In a suburban Virginia courtroom, the immigration system’s strains come to life
The Trump administration is making it harder for children to secure pro bono lawyers to represent them in deportation proceedings.
www.politico.com
August 12, 2026 at 9:10 PM
Children as young as 7 are appearing in immigration court without lawyers.
POLITICO shows the consequences: children navigating complex proceedings, translation errors going unchallenged and cases with life-changing stakes moving forward without counsel.
POLITICO shows the consequences: children navigating complex proceedings, translation errors going unchallenged and cases with life-changing stakes moving forward without counsel.
A federal judge has ordered the admin to pay $65M owed to organizations providing legal services to unaccompanied children.
The payments are long overdue, but they do not resolve the larger crisis. Children still need access to legal representation, due process & protection.
https://bit.ly/4wmpR7z
The payments are long overdue, but they do not resolve the larger crisis. Children still need access to legal representation, due process & protection.
https://bit.ly/4wmpR7z
August 10, 2026 at 7:56 PM
A federal judge has ordered the admin to pay $65M owed to organizations providing legal services to unaccompanied children.
The payments are long overdue, but they do not resolve the larger crisis. Children still need access to legal representation, due process & protection.
https://bit.ly/4wmpR7z
The payments are long overdue, but they do not resolve the larger crisis. Children still need access to legal representation, due process & protection.
https://bit.ly/4wmpR7z
The administration is using information meant to reunite children with family to target their parents and sponsors for immigration enforcement.
That puts families at risk and keeps children in custody longer.
A child protection system should protect children—not target their families.
That puts families at risk and keeps children in custody longer.
A child protection system should protect children—not target their families.
As Thousands of Migrant Children Lose Legal Representation, Trump's 'Lost Children' Myth Lives On
The Trump administration's approach to unaccompanied children is creating new barriers for those already navigating the immigration system.
msmagazine.com
August 5, 2026 at 7:50 PM
The administration is using information meant to reunite children with family to target their parents and sponsors for immigration enforcement.
That puts families at risk and keeps children in custody longer.
A child protection system should protect children—not target their families.
That puts families at risk and keeps children in custody longer.
A child protection system should protect children—not target their families.
Unaccompanied children now spend an average of 117 days in government custody—up from 30 days in 2024—while their immigration cases continue.
As KIND’s Tess Reagan explains, a five-year-old cannot be expected to understand court proceedings or make their case without legal help.
As KIND’s Tess Reagan explains, a five-year-old cannot be expected to understand court proceedings or make their case without legal help.
August 3, 2026 at 7:06 PM
Unaccompanied children now spend an average of 117 days in government custody—up from 30 days in 2024—while their immigration cases continue.
As KIND’s Tess Reagan explains, a five-year-old cannot be expected to understand court proceedings or make their case without legal help.
As KIND’s Tess Reagan explains, a five-year-old cannot be expected to understand court proceedings or make their case without legal help.
As children’s immigration cases continue and legal help remains under threat, every conversation matters.
Interpreters and translators help children communicate with legal teams, understand the process, and be heard.
Speak another language? Join our volunteer network: https://bit.ly/3TwC23W
Interpreters and translators help children communicate with legal teams, understand the process, and be heard.
Speak another language? Join our volunteer network: https://bit.ly/3TwC23W
August 1, 2026 at 8:16 PM
As children’s immigration cases continue and legal help remains under threat, every conversation matters.
Interpreters and translators help children communicate with legal teams, understand the process, and be heard.
Speak another language? Join our volunteer network: https://bit.ly/3TwC23W
Interpreters and translators help children communicate with legal teams, understand the process, and be heard.
Speak another language? Join our volunteer network: https://bit.ly/3TwC23W
Children as young as three are appearing in immigration court without lawyers.
A child cannot be expected to understand immigration law, meet rushed deadlines or defend themselves against deportation.
KIND’s Emily Norman described a growing “targeting of children.”
A child cannot be expected to understand immigration law, meet rushed deadlines or defend themselves against deportation.
KIND’s Emily Norman described a growing “targeting of children.”
Inside the New York court where children face deportation without access to attorneys
About 20,000 unaccompanied minors will lose legal representation if the federal government ends a longstanding contract on Friday, kicking current problems into overdrive across US
www.theguardian.com
July 31, 2026 at 4:52 PM
Children as young as three are appearing in immigration court without lawyers.
A child cannot be expected to understand immigration law, meet rushed deadlines or defend themselves against deportation.
KIND’s Emily Norman described a growing “targeting of children.”
A child cannot be expected to understand immigration law, meet rushed deadlines or defend themselves against deportation.
KIND’s Emily Norman described a growing “targeting of children.”
More than 24,000 unaccompanied children could lose access to federally funded legal representation.
Without an attorney, children are forced to face immigration court alone while navigating asylum, trafficking, family separation, and prolonged detention.
Without an attorney, children are forced to face immigration court alone while navigating asylum, trafficking, family separation, and prolonged detention.
More than 24,000 immigrant children could lose legal representation as a federal contract expires
The termination of a federal contract that pays nonprofit organizations for providing legal assistance to immigrant children will affect 90 organizations nationwide.
www.latimes.com
July 30, 2026 at 7:15 PM
More than 24,000 unaccompanied children could lose access to federally funded legal representation.
Without an attorney, children are forced to face immigration court alone while navigating asylum, trafficking, family separation, and prolonged detention.
Without an attorney, children are forced to face immigration court alone while navigating asylum, trafficking, family separation, and prolonged detention.
🚨ORR has shared more than 460,000 leads with ICE since January 2025, contributing to more than 12,000 arrests.
When families fear coming forward to reunite with their children, children remain in government custody longer.
https://reut.rs/4fWmrTU
When families fear coming forward to reunite with their children, children remain in government custody longer.
https://reut.rs/4fWmrTU
EXCLUSIVE: Thousands of children, sponsors arrested by ICE after tips from US child migrant agency
More than 12,000 people have been arrested by U.S. immigration authorities following tips from the Office of Refugee Resettlement during President Donald Trump’s second term.
reut.rs
July 28, 2026 at 2:51 PM
🚨ORR has shared more than 460,000 leads with ICE since January 2025, contributing to more than 12,000 arrests.
When families fear coming forward to reunite with their children, children remain in government custody longer.
https://reut.rs/4fWmrTU
When families fear coming forward to reunite with their children, children remain in government custody longer.
https://reut.rs/4fWmrTU
“With every passing day, it becomes more difficult to discern where ORR ends and ICE begins.”
KIND’s Jason Boyd warns that increased ICE involvement in sponsor vetting can deter families from coming forward out of fear and keep unaccompanied children in custody longer.
KIND’s Jason Boyd warns that increased ICE involvement in sponsor vetting can deter families from coming forward out of fear and keep unaccompanied children in custody longer.
ICE Is Using Data Broker Tools to ‘Identify Unaccompanied Minors’ and ‘Fraud’
A newly renewed, $25 million-per-year contract with a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters further expands the power of ICE under the Trump administration.
www.wired.com
July 20, 2026 at 8:58 PM
“With every passing day, it becomes more difficult to discern where ORR ends and ICE begins.”
KIND’s Jason Boyd warns that increased ICE involvement in sponsor vetting can deter families from coming forward out of fear and keep unaccompanied children in custody longer.
KIND’s Jason Boyd warns that increased ICE involvement in sponsor vetting can deter families from coming forward out of fear and keep unaccompanied children in custody longer.
Unaccompanied children are being given less time to prepare for immigration court while the legal services they need are being put at risk.
Rushing children’s cases while destabilizing their legal support is not due process.
Rushing children’s cases while destabilizing their legal support is not due process.
July 20, 2026 at 6:05 PM
Unaccompanied children are being given less time to prepare for immigration court while the legal services they need are being put at risk.
Rushing children’s cases while destabilizing their legal support is not due process.
Rushing children’s cases while destabilizing their legal support is not due process.
Reposted by Kids in Need of Defense
“The system is not a child-friendly system,” Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) managing attorney Hillary Larsen told KUOW. “It’s virtually impossible to go through the system having the child represent themself.”
Hundreds of thousands of immigrant children are facing immigration court by themselves.
This isn’t new: vulnerable kids have been rushed through deportation court without legal help across administrations. It’s only getting worse: americasvoicecnn.substack.com/p/hundreds-o...
This isn’t new: vulnerable kids have been rushed through deportation court without legal help across administrations. It’s only getting worse: americasvoicecnn.substack.com/p/hundreds-o...
Hundreds Of Thousands of Immigrant Children Are Facing Immigration Court By Themselves
“I was nervous because it was my first time going to a court,” said one boy. The federal government is seeking to deport him to a country he doesn’t even know.
americasvoicecnn.substack.com
July 15, 2026 at 9:01 PM
“The system is not a child-friendly system,” Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) managing attorney Hillary Larsen told KUOW. “It’s virtually impossible to go through the system having the child represent themself.”
Six children spent 118 to 505 days in federal custody, many with family ready to care for them.
Several were released only after attorneys went to court.
When family is ready to receive a child, every additional day in custody deepens the harm.
Several were released only after attorneys went to court.
When family is ready to receive a child, every additional day in custody deepens the harm.
Six immigrant children spent as long as 505 days in federal custody as their families waited
During the months CT Insider spent reporting this story, more than two dozen immigrant children sat in federal custody in Connecticut.
www.ctinsider.com
July 16, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Six children spent 118 to 505 days in federal custody, many with family ready to care for them.
Several were released only after attorneys went to court.
When family is ready to receive a child, every additional day in custody deepens the harm.
Several were released only after attorneys went to court.
When family is ready to receive a child, every additional day in custody deepens the harm.
KIND is without federal funding and still owed nearly $25 million for legal services already provided. Your donation helps keep lawyers beside children while their safety and futures remain at stake.
Help us protect children’s rights.
https://bit.ly/4ppvjVi
Help us protect children’s rights.
https://bit.ly/4ppvjVi
July 15, 2026 at 5:45 PM
KIND is without federal funding and still owed nearly $25 million for legal services already provided. Your donation helps keep lawyers beside children while their safety and futures remain at stake.
Help us protect children’s rights.
https://bit.ly/4ppvjVi
Help us protect children’s rights.
https://bit.ly/4ppvjVi
One Seattle judge heard 106 children’s immigration cases in a single day. More than 30 children who did not appear were ordered deported.
Children need legal representation and adequate time, not accelerated hearings in a system that was never designed for them.
Children need legal representation and adequate time, not accelerated hearings in a system that was never designed for them.
Hundreds of children ordered to appear at new 'mega' immigration hearings in Seattle
The federal government this week embarked on what it says is a new way to process a backlog of children with ongoing immigration cases. Those cases, which used to take months or years to process, are ...
www.kuow.org
July 14, 2026 at 7:23 PM
One Seattle judge heard 106 children’s immigration cases in a single day. More than 30 children who did not appear were ordered deported.
Children need legal representation and adequate time, not accelerated hearings in a system that was never designed for them.
Children need legal representation and adequate time, not accelerated hearings in a system that was never designed for them.