# US migrant child legal aid contract

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/us-migrant-child-legal-aid-contract
> Updated: 2026-08-05T14:27:39.000Z. Sources: 16. Developments: 2.

In early July 2026 the Trump administration announced it was seeking Texas firms to provide legal aid to unaccompanied migrant children in U.S. custody. By early August a $150 million, year‑long contract was awarded to the Houston‑based Burke Law Group, slated to begin on 15 August and covering roughly 20,000 children in shelters and with private sponsors. Critics highlighted the firm’s limited immigration experience and warned that its lack of expertise could jeopardise due‑process protections.

The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the award as a sole‑source contract. Burke Law Group employs 26 staff across eight offices, but only two attorneys list immigration or asylum practice. 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 prior agreement with the Acacia Center for Justice; the government had withheld about $65 million in fees from that network after demanding confidential client data. Legal‑aid groups such as the Amica Center cautioned that the limited expertise could threaten due‑process rights for roughly 1,800 children in government shelters and about 22,000 placed with private sponsors. The absence of a competitive bidding process has drawn further criticism that the children may receive inadequate representation.

## Claims

- The Department of Health and Human Services awarded a $150 million contract to Burke Law Group to provide legal services for unaccompanied migrant children. (corroborated by 14 sources)
- The contract will run for one year beginning on August 15, 2026. (corroborated by 14 sources)
- Burke Law Group has 26 employees across eight offices, with only two attorneys experienced in immigration law. (corroborated by 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. (corroborated by 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. (corroborated by 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. (corroborated by 14 sources)
- The contract was awarded without a competitive bidding process (sole‑source). (corroborated by 14 sources)
- The Office of Refugee Resettlement is the federal agency responsible for caring for unaccompanied migrant children. (corroborated by 14 sources)

## Timeline

### 2026-08-05: Burke Law Group awarded $150 M contract to represent unaccompanied migrant children

The Trump administration awarded a $150 M sole‑source contract to Houston’s Burke Law Group to represent unaccompanied migrant children, sparking legal‑aid groups’ concerns over the firm’s limited immigration‑c

16 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/burke-law-group-awarded-150-million-hhs-contract-for-unaccompanied-migrant-children

### 2026-07-06: Trump administration seeks Texas help for legal aid to immigrant children

The DOJ asked Texas’ Indigent Defense Commission to represent immigrant children as the Trump administration moves to end existing legal‑aid contracts and close shelters, sparking concerns about transfers to TX

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/trump-administration-seeks-texas-help-for-legal-aid-to-immigrant-children

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Cite as: US migrant child legal aid contract. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/us-migrant-child-legal-aid-contract