New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $7.25 million to provide legal services for 1,400 unaccompanied minor children.

“Governor Kathy Hochul, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Attorney General Letitia James stood together today against the Trump Administration’s aggressive federal immigration enforcement and reminded New Yorkers of their rights and protections,” a press release from the governor’s office read.

“In addition, Governor Hochul announced $7.25 million in new funding to provide legal services for approximately 1,400 unaccompanied immigrant children and youth in New York who are facing active removal proceedings, including the more than 250 children who are currently detained,” it continued.

“No child in our state should ever face the fear and uncertainty of the immigration process without advocates and legal support in their corner,” Hochul said.

“While the Trump Administration is walking away from these children, New York is stepping up to help bridge the gap and ensure their continued access to the services they need and deserve. When we lose sight of our shared responsibility to protect children, we lose sight of who we are as a country, and as Governor, I will not let that happen,” she added.

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The announcement came after the Trump administration let its contract with a network of about 100 providers working with migrant kids nationwide lapse in July.

“It’s cruel. It’s illegal. And for nearly two decades our federal government required by law that these children be protected when they cross the border,” Hochul railed.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, passed during President George W. Bush’s tenure, required the US government to provide legal representation for kids in deportation proceedings.

Children caught crossing into the US alone are generally entrusted to the federal government and placed in the care of an adult sponsor, typically a parent, relative or family friend by the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Trump in May tightened regulations to block illegal immigrants from serving as sponsors, after the ORR reportedly lost track of 320,000 children under President Joe Biden’s administration.

“New York will never stand by while vulnerable children are left to navigate our immigration system alone. We will continue fighting to protect immigrant New Yorkers and push back against federal overreach that puts families and communities at risk. Every New Yorker deserves a fair day in court and access to justice, and I thank Governor Hochul for taking the initiative to fund these critical legal services,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said.

“New York refuses to stand idly by while the federal government abandons immigrant children and leaves them vulnerable to exploitation and deportation. I’m proud to stand alongside state and city leaders as we reject the cruelty on display and recommit to protecting the immigrant communities that help form this city’s backbone,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani commented.

“New York City has invested a record 153 million dollars in legal representation for immigrants, expanded Know Your Rights outreach in dozens of languages, and strengthened the firewall between city agencies and federal immigration enforcement. We will not stop until the values our city was built upon are truly felt across the five boroughs,” he added.

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But the new infusion of taxpayer money to the immigrant legal aid fund comes as the Trump administration ramps up its mass deportation campaign across the country.

Advocates have raised concerns that unaccompanied minors facing deportation proceedings are lacking the legal representation needed to navigate to the federal immigration court system.

Under federal law, the government is required to facilitate legal representation for unaccompanied children under its care who are facing deportation proceedings.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded a $150 million contract to give legal representation to migrant children traveling alone to the U.S. to a Texas-based law firm that critics point out has ties to the Trump administration.

 

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