FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Laura Trask
Director, Development and Communications
[email protected]
Washington, DC, June 12, 2026 – Over the past 48 hours, in the latest example of intimidation tactics, agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and US Health and Human Services (HHS) attempted to gain access to the offices of Washington, DC-area nonprofits that provide legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children. This coordinated operation is the latest escalation of this administration’s attacks on immigrant children.
HSI and HHS agents conducted unannounced visits to the offices of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, Ayuda, and Kids in Need of Defense (KIND). In each case, the agents sought access to documents and financial records relating to the organizations’ child clients. The agents were turned away each time and were not provided with any records, as they had no warrant or authority to make such unlawful requests.
These nonprofits receive funding from a congressionally created and appropriated program that provides legal representation to unaccompanied immigrant children, as required by legislation; a program that has had bipartisan support and successfully served children for more than 15 years. Prior to these visits, neither HSI nor HHS had requested financial records or documentation from these nonprofits through formal administrative or legal channels.
“This is a blatant abuse of power to try to intimidate child advocates who have dedicated their lives to advocating for unaccompanied immigrant children,” said Michael Lukens, Executive Director of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights. “The Trump administration’s continued efforts to target immigrant children only shows how little they understand our staff’s unwavering commitment. Every child deserves access to due process and legal representation, and we will not be bullied into abandoning our clients.”
“Ayuda’s first priority is the safety of our clients, our staff, and the immigrant communities we serve,” said Paula Fitzgerald, Executive Director of Ayuda. “When federal agents show up unannounced at community-based legal service providers, it sends a chilling message to immigrant families who may already be afraid to seek help. No one should be deterred from exercising their legal rights, reporting abuse, or seeking support because they fear exposure or pressure to compromise their confidentiality. Providers like Ayuda must be able to serve children and families without disruption, fear, or intimidation.”
“This HSI and HHS OIG operation is consistent with ongoing administration efforts targeting nonprofit organizations operating in the immigration space and undermining legal services for unaccompanied children seeking safety in the United States,” said KIND President Wendy Young. “We will not participate in activities that are unsupported by legal warrants or cause. The fact is that legal service providers like KIND are some of the greatest allies in protecting unaccompanied children in the U.S. immigration system. We help ensure that unaccompanied children comply with immigration requirements under U.S. law, appear for their immigration court hearings, and remain in communication with U.S. immigration officials. We are oftentimes these children’s most critical line of defense against trafficking, exploitation, and abuse. We also render immigration court proceedings more efficient in a time of significant adjudicatory backlogs. That is KIND’s mission, and that will remain our focus no matter what challenges or intimidation tactics come our way.”
For decades, the national network of nonprofits providing legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children has built and sustained this program as a model of how public funds can support due process for some of the most vulnerable children in the system and serve the public good.
CONTACT:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Link to original press release.
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About Ayuda:
Ayuda provides direct legal, social, and language access services to low-income immigrants in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Since 1973, Ayuda has served more than 150,000 immigrants throughout the region. Ayuda is the only nonprofit service provider in the area that provides a wide range of immigration and family law assistance, social services, and language access support for all immigrants – including women, men, and children – from anywhere in the world. Visit www.ayuda.com to learn more.