U.S. Health and Human Services wants to move legal aid for migrant children in custody online

A new proposal from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would move legal appointments for unaccompanied immigrant children to an online platform.

When immigrant children enter the U.S. alone, they’re housed in government-run shelters as they connect with parents or other sponsors and their immigration case proceeds. A network of aid groups in Arizona and elsewhere provide them with legal assistance through a federally funded program.

“The funds have been appropriated, the money exists, the money exists, and in the grand scheme of the federal budget, you know, this is not the largest program,” said Michael Lukens, executive director of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights.

Lukens’ group is one of several across the U.S. providing the legal service in shelters. He says that first, in-person meeting is where attorneys get to know the child and prep them on what to expect in immigration court.

“You know, it’s what everything is based on, it’s the foundation for our ability to help the child. This very much looks like an attempt to make it easier for children to be deported,” Lukens said.

The government contract that funds groups like the Amica Center is expiring in April. The new call for proposals is asking for contracts to move the entire process online. Lukens says the new plan wouldn’t save the government money on the program, but would make it less effective.