TEXAS — Top Trump administration officials requested that the Texas Indigent Defense Commission provide legal services to immigrant children in deportation cases. The request coincides with efforts to end federally funded legal representation for such minors by June 2026.

High-ranking lieutenants with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton made the first contact regarding the request to Scott Ehlers, the executive director of the Texas Indigent Defense Commission. James McHenry, the Department of Justice's chief administrative hearing officer, also contacted Ehlers. Ehlers stated he did not believe immigration defense for children was legal under the commission's mandate.

The Texas Attorney General's office indicated it could not represent immigrant children and recommended the commission undertake the project. A Department of Justice spokesperson confirmed that officials with the Office of Refugee Resettlement asked the attorney general's office for assistance. The Department of Justice was asked to examine the legality of contracting with the commission, and federal money from the Office of Refugee Resettlement was intended to be sent to Texas.

The administration threatened to terminate the existing federally mandated contract for legal assistance to minors facing deportation. A temporary contract with the Acacia Center for Justice, a national nonprofit, is scheduled to conclude in July 2026. The administration is also litigating in federal court to end the contract.

Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the Office of Refugee Resettlement, said, "The administration continues to pursue 'every available avenue' to help kids obtain legal representation for their immigration proceedings." Wendy Young, president of Kids in Need of Defense, stated, "The attacks on federally funded legal service providers and the ongoing delay in payments to these organizations, as well as the unreasonable demand for sensitive data, fail to reflect the vital role attorneys play in protecting unaccompanied children and upholding the rule of law." Young added, "We are oftentimes these children's most critical line of defense against trafficking, exploitation, and abuse."

Trump officials have made it more difficult for relatives to obtain children in custody since taking office in 2025, and have arrested relatives following welfare checks. The administration is suing to end a decades-long federal settlement agreement that oversees the rights of children in custody. Kids in Need of Defense ended its subcontract with the Acacia Center in July 2026. The government owed the organization more than $20 million for legal services dating back to December 2025, leading it to reduce its staff. Last month, the government raided some organizations' offices, reportedly seeking evidence of financial impropriety and personal information of children.