U.S. government to help pay migrant kids' legal bills

[Lowexpectations]

Originally Posted by kanhawk

Add this to the list of why this is a deeply stupid country and getting stupider all the time.

It's actually a great thing about our country IMO have fun if you get arrested in another country and can't afford legal representation

[Retroit]

The $9 million will be given in two separate grants to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, the Department of Health and Human Services said.

?????

[Colorado Rambler]

The money will help support programs that provide legal services to children caught crossing the border illegally and who are applying for asylum or other forms of protection from deportation back to their home countries. Applicants will be eligible for the money on a first-come, first-served basis...

Immigrant advocates welcomed the announcement. They said many of the unaccompanied children who have come to the U.S. on their own are fleeing gang violence in their home countries.

The majority are children from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, three countries racked by gang violence that have some of the highest murder rates in the world.

"What they tell us is, 'I can't go to school any more because of the gang violence. They threatened me because I didn't want to join the gang,' " said Gladis Molina, who manages the children's project for the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project. The project provides legal representation to undocumented children held in government custody shelters while their immigration cases are pending.

Immigrant advocates said many children meet the standards to qualify for asylum but can't afford lawyers. Most children have been released from custody to sponsors in the U.S. while they await hearings in front of immigration judges.

Trying to protect little kids from getting murdered. The US continues on it steep moral decline as usual.

[flyonpa]

Originally Posted by Retroit

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It's a End run around the law. US Law does not allow the US Government to Pay for Legal aid/assistance in the immigration courts.

So to get around the law, the US Government is giving grants to Non-Profits, then the Non-Profits can use that money to provide lawyers.