A small law firm with ties to the Trump administration declined a $150 million contract to represent migrant children who traveled alone to the US, authorities said Wednesday, while another group whose former chief executive was dogged by allegations of misconduct was awarded work worth up to $244 million to advocate for them.
The rapid-fire developments came amid long-term questions about who will represent children in court amid President Donald Trump’s push for mass deportations.
The administration last week announced plans to award the contract to the Burke Law Group, a Houston-based firm with little experience in immigration. The contract offer came after the administration let a key contract expire with nearly 100 providers through Acacia Center for Justice.
The Contract That Wasn’t
The Burke Law Group, with fewer than 30 lawyers and only two with relevant immigration experience listed on its website, was one of two groups tapped by the government to fill the gap.
A statement from the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, which oversees the contracts, offered no insight into why Burke declined the offer. “Burke Law Group has declined to apply and has not been awarded any grant,” the agency said in an emailed statement.
Burke Law Group published a short statement on social media Tuesday night saying it had considered applying for a “small portion” of the contract. It did not explain why it decided against it.
The Trump Connections
Burke Law Group’s founder, Marcella Burke, served in President Donald Trump’s first administration as a lawyer with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior.
Others on its roster include Justin Shubow, a supporter of Trump’s efforts to require federal buildings to adhere to classical and traditional architectural styles, and a former Trump appointee to the US Commission of Fine Arts. Prominent conservative legal scholar Ilya Shapiro is listed as senior counsel.
The New Contract
The administration awarded another contract worth up to $244 million to Our Rescue, an anti-child-trafficking organization based in Sandy, Utah. The group, previously called Operation Underground Railroad, was made famous by the 2023 movie “Sound of Freedom.”
Founder Tim Ballard resigned in 2023 amid allegations of misconduct. Women accused him in lawsuits of exploiting his position at Operation Underground Railroad and their desire to help combat child trafficking to abuse them.
Derek Benner, Our Rescue’s current CEO, welcomed the new assignment. “These are among the most vulnerable children in the world, and they deserve nothing less than the full weight of our experience,” said Benner, a former senior official at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Legal Chaos
Unaccompanied migrant children in federal custody are being temporarily represented by another group, but it is unclear how things will shake out after its contract expires in December.
A temporary contract for $20 million was awarded through the end of the year to the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. Attorneys with USCRI started showing up in immigration court last week, unannounced, claiming to represent children they had not yet met and sparking confusion among judges and lawyers from the expired contract still providing representation.
Some legal aid providers whose contracts expired sued the administration after they went without payment since last year. On Aug. 6, a California federal judge ordered the federal government to pay the providers.
“These half-baked plans are not sufficient to comply with this court’s order,” Caelin Moriarity Miltko, an attorney representing the providers, told the judge last week.
The Bottom Line
A Trump-linked law firm declined a $150 million contract to represent unaccompanied migrant children, while the administration awarded a $244 million contract to Our Rescue, an anti-child-trafficking group whose founder resigned amid misconduct allegations. The developments come amid chaos in the legal representation system for migrant children, with temporary contracts causing confusion in immigration courts.
