Trump administration halts legal aid for migrant children

Daniela Hernandez, an immigration lawyer who provides free legal services to about 60 children in Pasadena, California some of her clients — who are as young as two — have court hearings as soon as Friday

US Marines install barbed wire along the border fence in January (Jae C Hong/AP)

Children have been left without representation in immigration court because of Trump administration cuts, according to organisations that help these kids navigate the legal system when they arrive in the US without a parent or guardian.

The organisations say the children are at risk because the Trump administration suspended a key programme late on Tuesday, ordering that the Acacia Center for Justice and its subcontractors immediately stop work on a $200m €191.7m contract to provide representation for children entering the country alone.