Burke Law Group awarded $150 M contract to represent unaccompanied migrant children

Burke Law Group $150 million contract unaccompanied migrant children Office of Refugee Resettlement legal aid groups

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a sole‑source, one‑year contract worth $150 million for the Houston‑based Burke Law Group. The firm will provide legal orientation, consultation and attorney‑of‑record services to unaccompanied migrant children placed in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, with the award taking effect on August 15, 2026. Burke Law Group employs 26 staff across eight offices, but only two attorneys list immigration or asylum practice experience. Founder Marcella Burke, a former EPA deputy solicitor and Interior Department deputy general counsel under the first Trump administration, leads the firm.

The contract replaces a previous agreement with the Acacia Center for Justice, a network of more than 100 nonprofit legal providers that had represented roughly 20,000 children. The government had withheld about $65 million in fees from that network, citing demands for confidential client data. Legal‑aid organizations such as the Amica Center warned that the new contract’s limited expertise could jeopardize due‑process rights for roughly 1,800 children in government shelters and about 22,000 housed with private sponsors. The award was made without a competitive bidding process, prompting criticism that the children may receive inadequate representation.

The contract underscores the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement agenda and raises concerns about the adequacy of legal protections for vulnerable minors in federal custody.

Entities: Acacia Center for Justice · Amica Center · Burke Law Group · Department of Health and Human Services · Marcella Burke · Michael Lukens · Office of Refugee Resettlement · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services · Unaccompanied migrant children

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 14 SOURCES] The contract will run for one year beginning on August 15, 2026. (contract details)
[● 14 SOURCES] The Department of Health and Human Services awarded a $150 million contract to Burke Law Group to provide legal services for unaccompanied migrant children. (HHS award notice)
[● 14 SOURCES] The previous contract with Acacia Center for Justice, a network of more than 100 nonprofit legal providers, expired and the government withheld about $65 million in fees. (contract history)
[● 14 SOURCES] Founder Marcella Burke previously served as a deputy solicitor at the EPA and deputy general counsel at the Department of the Interior during the Trump administration. (biographical information)
[● 14 SOURCES] Burke Law Group has 26 employees across eight offices, with only two attorneys experienced in immigration law. (firm description)
[● 14 SOURCES] Legal‑aid groups such as the Amica Center warned that the contract could jeopardize due process for roughly 1,800 children in shelters and about 22,000 housed with private sponsors. (advocacy statements)
[● 14 SOURCES] The Office of Refugee Resettlement is the federal agency responsible for caring for unaccompanied migrant children. (agency role)
[● 14 SOURCES] The contract was awarded without a competitive bidding process (sole‑source). (award notice)