Trump administration accused of accelerating deportations of unaccompanied immigrant children

Jewish Family and Community Services of Pittsburgh, together with six unaccompanied minors, sued the Justice Department, DHS, ICE and USCIS, asserting that the Trump administration is deliberately expediting child deportations. The filing alleges that immigration judges receive directives to curtail the period children have to secure lawful status, compressing juvenile dockets and penalizing judges who grant extensions.

Cases highlighted include a 17-year-old Guatemalan trafficking survivor and a 19-year-old Vietnamese survivor of severe abuse, both of whom faced removal orders despite pending Special Immigrant Juvenile or T-status applications. The suit contends that these actions conflict with congressional pathways designed to protect vulnerable youths. The Executive Office for Immigration Review and DHS offered no comment, while a DHS statement emphasized a commitment to protect children and uphold due process. The lawsuit arrives as the government ends a contract that funded counsel for more than 20,000 unaccompanied children, raising concerns about representation in immigration courts.