Trump administration cuts legal help for migrant children travelling alone
Washington, Mar 22 (AP): The Trump administration has ended a contract that provides legal help to migrant children entering the country without a parent or guardian, raising concerns that children will be forced to navigate the complex legal system alone.
The Acacia Center for Justice contracts with the government to provide legal services through its network of providers around the country to unaccompanied migrant children under 18, both by providing direct legal representation as well as conducting legal orientations — often referred to as “know your rights” clinics — to migrant children who cross the border alone and are in federal government shelters.
Acacia said they were informed that the US Department of Health and Human Services was terminating nearly all the legal work that the centre does, including paying for lawyers for roughly 26,000 children when they go to immigration court. They're still contracted to hold the legal orientation clinics.
“It's extremely concerning because it's leaving these kids without really important support,” said Ailin Buigues, who heads Acacia's unaccompanied children programme. "They're often in a very vulnerable position.”
People fighting deportation do not have the same right to representation as people going through criminal courts, although they can hire private attorneys.
But there has been some recognition that children navigating the immigration court system without a parent or guardian are especially vulnerable.
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2008 created special protections for children who arrive in the US without a parent or a legal guardian.
Emily G. Hilliard, deputy press secretary at Health and Human Services, said in an emailed statement that the department “continues to meet the legal requirements established” by the Act as well as a legal settlement guiding how children in immigration custody are being treated.
The termination comes days before the contract was to come up for renewal on March 29. Roughly a month ago the government temporarily halted all the legal work Acacia and its subcontractors do for immigrant children, but then days later Health and Human Services reversed that decision.
The programme is funded by a five-year contract, but the government can decide at the end of each year if it renews it or not.
A copy of the termination letter obtained by The Associated Press said the contract was being terminated “for the Government's convenience.”
Michael Lukens is the executive director of Amica, which is one of the providers contracting with Acacia in the Washington, DC area. He said with the renewal date swiftly approaching, they had been worried something like this would happen.
He said they will continue to help as many kids as they can "for as long as possible” and will try to fight the termination.
“We're trying to pull every lever but we have to be prepared for the worst, which is children going to court without attorneys all over the country. This is a complete collapse of the system,” he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Health dept to probe into claim about Pune hospital's refusal to admit pregnant woman
Pune (PTI): Maharashtra Minister Prakash Abitkar on Friday said a senior official of the health department will conduct an inquiry into the incident in which a hospital in Pune allegedly refused to admit a pregnant woman due to the non-payment of an advance deposit of Rs 10 lakh.
The alleged incident took place at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, and the woman, Tanisha Bhise, wife of BJP MLC Amit Gorkhe's personal assistant, died after giving birth to twin girls at another hospital.
Talking to PTI, Abitkar said, "We have asked the deputy director of the health department to inquire into what exactly happened at the hospital. After we receive his report, we will take necessary action if the hospital is found to be in the wrong."
Workers of opposition parties, including the Shiv Sena (UBT) Congress and the NCP (SP), staged protests outside the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and even threw coins at one of the hospital staffers.
Police have been deployed in large numbers outside the facility to prevent untoward incidents.
MLC Gorkhe had on Thursday claimed that despite an assurance to pay Rs 3 lakh immediately, the hospital denied admission to the patient, and even a call from the Mantralaya did not yield any response from them.
The hospital, however, refuted the allegations and blamed the woman's kin for giving "misleading information".
The hospital's medical director, Dr Dhananjay Kelkar, had said they would prepare a detailed report about the incident and submit it to the health department.
