Democrats press to preserve government-funded counsel for unaccompanied children; committee rejects proposed statutory funding change

Democratic members repeatedly offered and redrafted amendments to ensure government-funded counsel for unaccompanied children in immigration proceedings, citing the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and a federal court injunction that blocked the Trump administration’s March 2025 termination of ORR legal services funding for children.

Rep. Lofgren (S19) described government commitments, prior contracts, and data showing that children with counsel are far more likely to obtain relief in immigration court. "Children in proceedings need time... unaccompanied children without counsel were almost 100 times less likely to obtain legal relief than unaccompanied children with counsel," she said. The committee's majority maintained the bill would not obligate government-funded counsel at no expense to the government and objected to inserting broad new funding commitments into the immigration enforcement bill; the proposed statutory changes were not adopted in recorded votes.