Donald Trump administration fails to provide legal assistance for migrant children

Washington, September 10 (RHC)-- HuffPost reports the Trump administration is failing to provide legal aid for locked-up migrant children in at least three separate jails — a violation of federal law. 

Without the required legal services, migrant children are forced to navigate complicated legal proceedings alone and are more likely to be deported to potentially life-threatening situations. RAICES Executive Director Jonathan Ryan told HuffPost: “Our government is engaged in premeditated, deliberate acts of cruelty against children.  I don’t think one has to be a conspiracy theorist to believe that the government is attempting to systematically dismantle every framework of support for any immigrant in this country.”

Meanwhile, details from a lawsuit filed last month challenging the Trump administration over its termination of the Flores agreement have highlighted the dire conditions faced by locked-up migrant children.  Among the many violations, migrant girls reported being denied sufficient menstrual products and having to keep wearing soiled clothing throughout their periods.