After Harder Demands Action, Children at Modesto Facility to Receive Legal Services

Statement

In a major victory, Representative Josh Harder (CA-10) announced that the Trump Administration will finally meet its legal obligation to make sure refugee and immigrant children at a Modesto, California facility have access to legal aid services. The Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) addressed funding delays by adding the Modesto facility to a regional contract after Rep. Harder demanded swift responsiveness from the agency on Tuesday. In his letter, Rep. Harder asked ORR to provide an update regarding the status of legal aid services provided to children and babies in the Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) program at a small group home in Modesto.

"This is justice. Some of these kids are 13 years old, braved a three-month trek to the United States to flee violence or persecution, and were faced with navigating the legal system on their own -- not anymore," said Rep. Harder. "This victory is thanks to the work of local advocates, a committed free press, and the outcry of everyday people -- I was proud to lead the charge on this and I'll keep working to make sure these kids get the fair treatment they are legally entitled to."

Legal Services for Children (LSC), one of the organizations currently providing pro bono services to children at the Modesto facility, received word last night that ORR will fund professional legal services through the Vera Institute of Justice. Details of the contract are forthcoming, but the organization is encouraged by the official confirmation. LSC, alongside Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) provide pro bono services to the children, but their offices are located hours away in San Francisco and Fresno. Due to the delayed contract, LSC lacked the capacity to provide immigration-specific legal experts to help or the ability to hire new staff. The contract will allow LSC to ensure the children at this facility receive top-notch legal counsel.

The ORR-funded shelter in Modesto houses up to a dozen unaccompanied children. The residents are predominantly teenagers and small children who crossed the border alone or sought asylum without a parent. ORR contracts with local organizations to provide a safe place for unaccompanied children to stay until they are reunified with their families or their cases are decided.

The Trafficking Victims Reauthorization Act of 2008, which was reauthorized in 2017, requires the federal government to provide immigrant children with access to legal help to the "greatest extent practicable." Earlier this year, Congress allocated additional funding to ensure ORR facilitates are able to provide children with access to legal aid services, but the agency significantly delayed finalizing a contract for Modesto -- even though the facility has been in operation for months.

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