U.S. to spend $9 million to find lawyers for unaccompanied minors in nine cities, including Dallas

[Karee 4,191]

WASHINGTON — The Obama Administration announced Tuesday that it will pick up the bill for immigration attorneys who will be assigned to unaccompanied children from Central America and elsewhere who are stopped at the U.s. border.

Dallas and Houston are two of a handful of cities where the money will be spent, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a phone call to The News Tuesday.

The program starts today and will be funded with $9 million over the next two years. In all, the funds are estimated to be enough to pay for lawyers for more than 2,600 children.

Border agents have stopped tens of thousands of unaccompanied children from Central America at the border in the last year, many of them simply surrendering and asking to be taken into custody.

Federal law requires that custody of the children from non-contiguous states — in other words, those who are not from Mexico or Canada — be transferred from the border patrol to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services within 72 hours.

Once moved from the border, they typically spent four to five weeks at sheltered paid for by the department. They are given a court date — often many months into the future — and then placed with a local sponsor who cares for them until they are due back in court. The sponsors are usually relatives already in the U.S., and more than half of the time the children are placed with one or more parents.

But hanging over all of this handling is a legal question as to whether the children have a right to remain in the country. Most do not, but those that can show evidence that they are fleeing violence or are otherwise eligible as refugees can be allowed to remain.

But few of those children have the funds to pay for attorneys, and there is no right to public counsel for non-citizens in immigration hearings.

The Catholic Church and other advocates for immigrants have urged lawyers to volunteer, and many have done so throughout the country.

The $9 million in funding will pay for legal representation for about 1,222 children this year, and the balance in the coming year, spokesman Kenneth Wolfe said Tuesday.

The money will be added to existing grants for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Virginia-based U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. Those organizations work with Catholic Charities and the catholic Legal Immigration Network, on the one hand, and the Immigrant Child Network, n the other.

Wolfe said those agencies in turn will draw down the money on a first-come, first-come basis as they represent children in immigration proceedings. The cities where the money will be available are Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Memphis, New Orleans, Phoenix, Dallas and the greater Washington, D.C. area, including Arlington, Va., and Baltimore.

Source: http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2014/09/u-s-to-spend-9-million-to-find-lawyers-for-unaccompanied-minors-in-9-cities-including-dallas.html/

[LibCampFireClub 635]

[Robby999 1,024]

Makes a person feel stupid for wasting all the money, time, and stress of doing legal immigration, when they could have just sashayed across the border and surrendered to the nearest CBP officer and have the federal government foot all their immigration expenses.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Makes a person feel stupid for wasting all the money, time, and stress of doing legal immigration, when they could have just sashayed across the border and surrendered to the nearest CBP officer and have the federal government foot all their immigration expenses.

Making such an ignorant statement even makes one look stupid, too.

[decocker 7,198]

Makes a person feel stupid for wasting all the money, time, and stress of doing legal immigration, when they could have just sashayed across the border and surrendered to the nearest CBP officer and have the federal government foot all their immigration expenses.

because being an unaccompanied minor in need of shelter, a guardian and an immigration lawyer isn't stressful at all.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

because being an unaccompanied minor in need of shelter, a guardian and an immigration lawyer isn't stressful at all.

Walk in the park. And as we have learned, at the end of that walk is 0bama's lavish all-you-care-to-eat buffet, top notch doctors and universities awaiting. All free. It's the promised land!

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

Making such an ignorant statement even makes one look stupid, too.

I would have thought even you could see the truth in Robby's comment. Guess not. Then again, you're not the one who wasted their money, so I guess it doesn't affect you as much. But I feel pretty much the same way Robby does.

[UncleBeer 244]

Makes a person feel stupid for wasting all the money, time, and stress of doing legal immigration, when they could have just sashayed across the border and surrendered to the nearest CBP officer and have the federal government foot all their immigration expenses.

Yep. This preznit has managed to turn our country on its head. Let's hope we'll be able to repair at least some of the damage he's wrought.

[UncleBeer 244]

because being an unaccompanied minor in need of shelter, a guardian and an immigration lawyer isn't stressful at all.

Please remind us of how these "unaccompanied minors" managed to make it to the US border without parents or guardians? Have they run away from home? Aren't their parents looking for them, or concerned, or deserving of having them returned? And since O'bama is surely in favor of family unity, etc., shouldn't he be in favor of reuniting these families ... albeit across the border?

[LibCampFireClub 635]

Making such an ignorant statement even makes one look stupid, too.

Well, you see; that's the beauty of America. The American people who support legal immigration and seek to secure our borders forgive you for your many ignorant statements. We support your right to be ignorant, and by your own words, stupid.

[Jacque67 7,328]

Jobs for lawyers from 3rd rate law schools- yeh!

[Karee 4,191]

I would have thought even you could see the truth in Robby's comment. Guess not. Then again, you're not the one who wasted their money, so I guess it doesn't affect you as much. But I feel pretty much the same way Robby does.

If it was a Republican doing this, he'd be screaming about it. You can bet on that.

[decocker 7,198]

Please remind us of how these "unaccompanied minors" managed to make it to the US border without parents or guardians? Have they run away from home? Aren't their parents looking for them, or concerned, or deserving of having them returned? And since O'bama is surely in favor of family unity, etc., shouldn't he be in favor of reuniting these families ... albeit across the border?

your solution is to drop them back on the other side of the border (no need to feign concern for the kids. i'm not buying it anyway).

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I would have thought even you could see the truth in Robby's comment. Guess not. Then again, you're not the one who wasted their money, so I guess it doesn't affect you as much. But I feel pretty much the same way Robby does.

That's right. My immigration and that of my wife were all immediate with no wait, paperwork or hassle and they were free to boot.

[UncleBeer 244]

your solution is to drop them back on the other side of the border (no need to feign concern for the kids. i'm not buying it anyway).

Feel free to not answer those pertinent questions. Again, if you had answers, you'd give 'em.

I asked:

Please remind us of how these "unaccompanied minors" managed to make it to the US border without parents or guardians? Have they run away from home? Aren't their parents looking for them, or concerned, or deserving of having them returned? And since O'bama is surely in favor of family unity, etc., shouldn't he be in favor of reuniting these families ... albeit across the border?