DOJ orders federally funded legal service providers to stop providing support at immigration courts

Source: ABC News

January 23, 2025, 12:28 PM


The Department of Justice, under new leadership following the inauguration of Donald Trump, has told legal service providers who receive federal funding to stop providing legal orientation and other work intended to support immigrants at immigration courts. In a memo obtained by ABC News, the DOJ ordered all such legal providers on Wednesday to "stop work immediately" in those areas.

"This email is to send you notification to stop work immediately pursuant to the Executive Order on the following task orders," the memo said. The programs listed in the memo include the Legal Orientation Program; the Immigration Court Helpdesk; the Family Group Legal Orientation Program; and the Counsel for Children Initiative.

Legal service providers are usually present at immigration courts across the country to help individuals navigate immigration court proceedings and handle legal paperwork.

"The suspension of these longstanding programs could leave hundreds of thousands of vulnerable immigrants -- including children and families -- without access to basic legal information and representation," a spokesperson for Acacia Center for Justice told ABC News in a statement.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/doj-orders-federally-funded-legal-service-providers-stop/story?id=118027656