Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia co-wrote a letter of criticism to the Trump Administration over an immigration policy decision to defund a legal representation program for unaccompanied minors.
Murkowski, one of the most vocal Republican critics of Trump, condemns the Department of Health and Human Services for halting the program after the last contract came to an end in March.
In her April 15 letter, Murkowski urged HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to immediately reinstate legal representation for over 26,000 unaccompanied minors currently in federal custody.
There is no indication that these minors will not get representation through the usual means, but Murkowski seems to think the worst will happen. Some nonprofits, like Kids in Need of Defense, as well as state-run programs continue to provide legal aid to unaccompanied minors.
Her letter expresses “serious concern” over what she calls a “reckless and harmful” move that directly violates the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008. Yet the funding of this program did not start until 2023, raising a question about how the law had been violated throughout the Obama Administration.
“Terminating legal representation for more than 26,000 unaccompanied children flouts this mandate,” the letter reads. “Without legal representation, children will face significantly higher risk of predation by traffickers.”
The termination of what has been a two-year-old program started by President Biden occurred shortly after the contract with the Acacia Center for Justice ended on March 21. The center had been funded by the Biden Administration since 2023 and has some philanthropic sources of funding.
The termination of the federal contract represents a shift in border priorities that includes stronger enforcement. Trump has also now sent the military to the southern border to beef up protection.
The Amica Center for Immigrant Rights and other nonprofit organizations filed a federal lawsuit against HHS, arguing the termination violated the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, which mandates access to legal counsel for unaccompanied children to the greatest extent practicable.
The lawsuit claims the decision leaves vulnerable children without representation, risking deportations without due process. But before the $200 million annual funding for the program, youth were represented, but without the middle man of the Acacia Center.
A temporary restraining order was granted on April 1 to halt the termination’s effects until at least April 16, indicating the federal judge will side with the complainants and set up another case to be fought at the Supreme Court.
According to Murkowski, many of the minors are now left to navigate complex immigration proceedings alone, which is a falsehood.
She imagines that toddlers will be standing in front of immigration judges without an advocate or without even understanding the language of the court.
“This population has no meaningful alternative to ORR-administered legal representation,” her letter states, referring to the Office of Refugee Resettlement. “Without restoration of these legal services, too many unaccompanied children will be on their own.”
Her latest move is the most recent flashpoint in Murkowski’s increasingly strained relationship with the Trump Administration. Although a registered Republican, Murkowski has a record of being anti-Trump nearly to the point of obsession, most certainly harming her Alaska constituents by creating hostilities.
In Anchorage this weekend, she told a group of nonprofit leaders that “We are all afraid. It’s quite a statement. But we are in a time and a place where I certainly have not been here before. And I’ll tell ya, I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because retaliation is real. And that’s not right,” according to a report by the Anchorage Daily News. Notably, she does not repeat these statements to other groups, but nonprofits in Alaska are a major siphon of federal funds and have become one of her main constituencies.
Murkowski is one of the leaders of the resistance to Trump, who won the state of Alaska by 13.13 percentage points over Kamala Harris, doing better last year than the 10.06 percentage point win he had in Alaska in 2020, when he was challenged by Biden.
Murkowski’s letter was also cc’d to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Angie Salazar, acting director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Here’s the letter:
