I sent the following to my House Representative and both Senators:
Dear Representative Huizenga,
The Trump administration has ordered legal service providers, including the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC), to halt work on the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s unaccompanied child legal services program. This cruel directive immediately cuts off legal assistance for 800 immigrant children in Michigan and puts 26,000 children nationwide at risk of facing immigration court alone.
Without legal representation, vulnerable children—some as young as three years old—will struggle to navigate a complex immigration system, making them more susceptible to trafficking, exploitation, and deportation to dangerous situations. Legal aid has been essential in reuniting families, protecting child survivors of abuse and trafficking, and ensuring due process.
This stop work order violates legal protections like the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) and undermines our nation’s commitment to safeguarding vulnerable children. MIRC’s ability to serve its young clients is now severely limited, with 80% of its staff affected.
Please act immediately to restore this funding and ask the Trump administration to rescind its directive.
Sincerely,
Rev. Kenneth Arthur