A lawsuit filed in federal court in Pennsylvania contends that the Trump administration is pursuing accelerated deportations of unaccompanied immigrant children as part of an enforcement agenda, according to allegations brought by Jewish Family and Community Services of Pittsburgh and six immigrant clients.
The complaint, filed against the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and US Citizenship and Immigration Services, argues that immigration judges have received instructions to limit the time children have to pursue legal applications through other federal agencies. The lawsuit describes compressed juvenile court dockets, expedited hearing schedules, and cases being advanced on short notice. According to the filing, children who have already been awarded Special Immigrant Juvenile status or who are trafficking survivors have been ordered removed from the country rather than granted additional time for their cases.
Unaccompanied children often arrive in the US after experiencing human trafficking, domestic violence, or abuse. Federal law provides certain legal pathways to permanent residency for such children, including Special Immigrant Juvenile classification for those mistreated by parents and T non-immigrant status for trafficking survivors. These protections can require years to obtain due to backlogs and annual quotas. The complaint indicates immigration judges historically used discretionary tools to delay deportations while children pursued these protections, but says this practice has eroded in recent months.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that the administration is focused on protecting children and working to reunite them with families, and that all individuals in the immigration system receive due process. The Executive Office for Immigration Review declined to comment. The lawsuit also references the federal government’s decision to end funding for legal representation for over 20,000 unaccompanied children in immigration proceedings, which plaintiffs characterize as removing crucial protections for vulnerable minors facing court proceedings alone.
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