A Houston-based law firm, Burke Law Group, has declined a $150 million contract to represent migrant children who traveled alone to the U.S. The firm, which has ties to the Trump administration, was one of two groups tapped by the government to fill in the gap in representation for these children.

Background

The contract offer came after the administration let a key contract expire with nearly 100 providers through the Acacia Center for Justice. 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.

Burke Law Group published a short statement on social media saying it had considered applying for a “small portion” of the contract but did not explain why it decided against it. The firm’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.

The administration awarded another contract worth up to $244 million to Our Rescue, an anti-child-trafficking organization based in Sandy, Utah. The group, formerly known as Operation Underground Railroad, was made famous by the 2023 movie “Sound of Freedom.”

Our Rescue’s current CEO, Derek Benner, welcomed the new assignment, saying, “These are among the most vulnerable children in the world, and they deserve nothing less than the full weight of our experience.”

Contract Details

A temporary $20 million contract was awarded through the end of the year to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, a legal aid group whose prior work with the government included helping resettle Afrikaners.

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 who were still providing representation under the expired contract.

Original reporting: Allentown News – 6abc Philadelphia — read the source article.