MCALLEN, TEXAS — The Burke Law Group declined a federal contract offer to provide legal representation for unaccompanied immigrant children in federal custody. The Office of Refugee Resettlement stated that the Burke Law Group declined to apply and has not been awarded any grant.

The federal contract offered to the firm was valued at $150 million. The official record states that the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Refugee Resettlement announces the intent to award a single-source cooperative agreement in an amount of up to $150,000,000 to Burke Law Group, a law firm headquartered in Houston, Texas.

The Burke Law Group published a statement on social media stating it had considered applying for a "small portion" of the contract. The firm has fewer than 30 lawyers, and its website lists only two lawyers with relevant immigration experience.

Marcella Burke is the founder of the Burke Law Group. She served as a lawyer with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior during President Donald Trump’s first administration. Justin Shubow is on the roster of the Burke Law Group, and he is a former Trump appointee to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. Ilya Shapiro is listed as senior counsel at the Burke Law Group.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 requires the government to provide legal representation for children put into deportation proceedings.

The contract with nearly 100 providers working with immigrant children expired at the end of July. Approximately 1,800 unaccompanied migrant children were living in shelters and roughly 22,000 facing deportation were living with outside sponsors, according to legal service providers whose contract expired.

A temporary contract worth $20 million was awarded to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants through the end of the year. Attorneys with the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants appeared in immigration court claiming to represent children they had not yet met. The temporary contract for the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants expires in December.

Some legal aid providers whose contracts expired sued the administration for non-payment. On August 6, a California federal judge ordered the federal government to pay the legal aid providers. Legal aid providers started to receive payments covering six out of nine months owed, with the rest in progress, according to Bilal Askaryar.

Why It Matters

The decline of the $150 million contract offer leaves the Office of Refugee Resettlement without a long-term provider for legal representation mandated by the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008. With nearly 24,000 unaccompanied children currently in shelters or with sponsors facing deportation, the expiration of contracts with nearly 100 previous providers created an immediate gap in legal services.

The temporary $20 million award to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immidents provides coverage only through December. The situation follows a period where attorneys appeared in court for children they had not yet met.

Timeline

On April 11, 1995, the Office of Minority Health issued an organizational structure notice providing an update for the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Secretary, and Office of Minority Health. On April 28, 2009, the Administration for Children and Families amended the Statement of Organizations, Functions and Delegation of Authority regarding the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. On November 17, 2017, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit received the government’s emergency stay motion in United States v. United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

The contract with nearly 100 providers working with immigrant children expired at the end of July 2026. On August 5, 2026, attorneys with the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants appeared in immigration court claiming to represent children they had not yet met. On August 6, 2026, a California federal judge ordered the federal government to pay the legal aid providers. On August 11, 2026, the Burke Law Group published a statement on social media stating it had considered applying for a "small portion" of the contract.

What's New

Additional reporting includes research titled Figure 3.10. The total number of refugee stock (including asylum seekers) declined in Asia/Pacific though OECD countries recorded an unprecedented number of 7.3 million. The official record states that the ACF, ORR announces the intent to award a single-source cooperative agreement in an amount of up to $150,000,000 to Burke Law Group, a law firm headquartered in Houston, Texas. Research titled The Number Of Americans With Health Coverage Declined In 2009 was published in 2010 in Forefront Group. PureSource News previously reported that the US Offers $102 Million for Eight CJNG Cartel Leaders, and PureSource News reported on 2026-08-05: US Offers $102 Million for Eight CJNG Cartel Leaders.

How Sources Differ

Regarding the location of the Burke Law Group, thefederalregister.org states that the official record announces the intent to award a single-source cooperative agreement to Burke Law Group, a law firm headquartered in Houston, Texas. The Burke Law Group website states that the Burke Law Group is based in Houston, Texas.