Dear Friends,

EBSC strongly denounces the Trump Administration’s recent termination of the Unaccompanied Children Program, causing over 26,000 children who entered the country alone to lose their legal representation. As unaccompanied minors, children are especially vulnerable to trafficking and other abuses on their journeys to the U.S. and once they arrive. Legal representation is the only thing that is preventing them from being sent back to danger and possible death. ?

We urge Congress to stand firmly against the termination of this life-saving program and to restore due process and legal protections for unaccompanied minors.

Take Action – ?Show up TOMORROW in support of legal access for immigrant children. Attend the hearing at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET on Tuesday, April 1st at the District Court for the Northern District of California (450 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, California) . or (password 426303) if you cannot attend in person.

EBSC has served over 750 unaccompanied minors in the last 10 years. With our help, they are able to attain asylum, stay in school, and begin to heal. Children with access to legal counsel and support services have better outcomes with their overall immigration cases, while those without are more likely to be deported to dangerous conditions. Ultimately, this decision completely undermines due process, a basic right entitled to all humans, citizens or not.

“The 26,000 children whose access to counsel was slashed will be at higher risk of exploitation and trafficking and their chances of obtaining legal protection will plummet. No child should be forced to fend for themselves against a trained [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] attorney without a lawyer by their side.”

– Lindsay Toczylowski,

President of Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef)

Why does legal representation matter?

• Many children have a legal pathway relief based on being abused, abandoned, neglected, or persecuted in their home countries. However, almost half of unaccompanied children face deportation alone.
  

• Many children cannot read or speak English – others who primarily speak Indigenous languages cannot speak read or Spanish – and others are too young to read or speak at all.
  

• Seeking legal relief involves multiple steps and working with several agencies in different legal systems. Children cannot meaningfully navigate the systems alone.
  

• A representative can stand with the youth to explain the process, their rights, and help them navigate removal proceedings with humanity, dignity, and their due process rights preserved.
  

• Representation increases the efficiency of immigration courts overall.

No child should have to defend themselves alone in court against a trained ICE attorney. ?Beyond their legal cases, many unaccompanied children face mental health challenges such as PTSD and have trouble speaking about traumatic events. Having lawyers working alongside social workers is essential to guide children through the often re-traumatizing process of recounting their migration journeys.

“Our Support Services team helped a 17-year old asylum seeker from Guatemala access mental health care, despite her being turned down twice. We made sure she had a Mam interpreter for her intake appointment and followed up with her several times to make sure she felt comfortable with the process. The client was relieved to hear that she would receive ongoing therapy for her PTSD and start her path to healing.”

– Owen Thompson-Lastad, Advocacy Programs Manager

Take Action This Week

(most effective method for legislative action!): Dial the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and to them.

Show up TOMORROW in support of legal access for immigrant kids: Join the hearing at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET on Tuesday, April 1st at the District Court for the Northern District of California (450 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, California). or (password 426303) if you cannot attend in person.

Join our workshop to help immigrant families fill out their Family Preparedness Plan: Saturday, April 12 from 11am - 12:30pm at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists (606 Bonita Ave, Berkeley). .

Write a letter to your representatives: Demand your elected officials to take action and restore legal services to protect unaccompanied children. .

Stay Informed: What are the threats unaccompanied children face? Check out the of UCP Webinar to hear experts, advocates, and testimonies from former unaccompanied children themselves.

Stop ICE expansion in Dublin: Wednesday, April 16, 2025 from 5:30 pm – 7 pm at the Gates of FCI Dublin Women’s Prison (corner of 8th St. and Arnold), Dublin 94568 – Accessible by BART ( 35 min walk / 5-7 drive away from Dublin/Pleasanton Station). Join the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity for a vigil to reject ICE’s plans, uplift women survivors, and demand a world without detention. .

: Sunday, April 6 & 27 from 2-4pm at La Pe?a Cultural Center (3105 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley). Join us to learn how to handle ICE encounters and share important Know Your Rights information with immigrant community members. .

Send a letter to your members of Congress: telling Congress to pass the Neighbors Not Enemies Act, which would protect immigrants from deportation without due process under the outdated and discriminatory Alien Enemies Act.

Thank you for showing up for children and all people who fled life-threatening conditions to find safety in the U.S. Together, we are building a future where compassion and dignity are the standard, not the exception.

With care,

EBSC Team

P.S. Join us April 15th for No Separate Survival, a beautiful film highlighting the journeys and aspirations of immigrant community members. There will be a Q&A with the film’s director and participants.