26,000 migrant children could lose their lawyers after refugee office let contract lapse
NPR reported on August 1, 2026 that the federal contract paying a network of legal providers to assist children in the Office of Refugee Resettlement's care expired on July 31 and was not renewed. According to the lawyers and the Acacia Center for Justice, which manages the contract, ORR stopped paying for the legal services in November 2025 after the providers declined to give the agency confidential information about the children, which they say is covered by attorney-client privilege. Lawyers estimate about 26,000 children could be left without independent legal representation. NPR reported that neither ORR nor the White House responded to its requests for comment, and that ORR told Acacia on July 29 it was considering a new contract.
An estimated 26,000 children who entered the U.S. without parents or guardians are expected to be left without independent legal representation as soon as Monday, according to lawyers who help represent them.
Contacted — no response by publication. This space stays open; any statement is added here in full.
The Government Accountability Office denied the Acacia Center for Justice's bid protest of ORR's solicitation for unaccompanied children's legal services, finding the agency reasonably justified its invoicing model, scope of representation and documentation requirements. Source ↗
A federal judge in California ordered the government to pay money owed to the Acacia Center for Justice and to report on its compliance with a 2025 order; the same week HHS published notice of a planned award of up to $150 million to Burke Law Group for children's legal services. Source ↗