U.N. human rights experts have condemned the U.S. administration's 2023 decision to cut legal aid for unaccompanied migrant children, calling it a serious violation of children's rights. The experts echoed U.N. High Commissioner Volker Türk's warnings that migration policies must respect individual rights and international law. They also criticised deportation efforts and a reported $2,500 incentive for voluntary departures, while a federal judge temporarily restored funding after providers sued.
U.N. Experts Condemn U.S. Cuts To Legal Aid For Unaccompanied Migrant Children
Two children sit in the hallway as their parents attend an immigration hearing at U.S. immigration court in Manhattan, in New York City, U.S., October 24, 2025. REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado
Jan 27 (Reuters) - U.N. human rights experts on Tuesday sharply condemned a decision last year by the U.S. administration to cut legal aid for unaccompanied migrant children facing immigration proceedings in the United States.
The rebuke followed calls from U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urging the U.S. to ensure migration policies comply with individual rights and international law.
"Denying children their rights to legal representation and forcing them to navigate complex immigration proceedings without legal counsel is a serious violation of the rights of children," the independent experts, who serve as mandate-holders appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council, said in a statement.
The White House dismissed the experts' criticism, saying it has sought to locate children it alleges were smuggled into the United States under the previous administration but did not provide detailed examples to support that claim. "No one takes the U.N. seriously because of their extreme bias and selective outrage – they should be praising the Administration for protecting children, not lying about our policies," said White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson.
In February, the U.S. Department of the Interior reportedly ordered organisations providing legal services to the children to stop work and cut program funding. Those providers sued, and a federal judge later temporarily reinstated the funding for the program.
The experts said the cuts came amid a broader immigration crackdown that included efforts to deport large numbers of migrant children who entered the U.S. without their parents. They described such deportation efforts as unlawful and in breach of international human rights law that protects vulnerable groups, including children at risk of human trafficking.
The U.N. experts also criticised a reported $2,500 offer the administration made to encourage unaccompanied children to voluntarily leave the United States.
"Child-sensitive justice procedures should be guaranteed in all immigration and asylum proceedings affecting children," the experts added, noting they have been in contact with the U.S. government on the issue.
Government figures show more than 600,000 migrant children have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or legal guardian since 2019.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; editing by David Ljunggren and Alexandra Hudson)
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