Lawsuit Accuses Trump Administration of Creating a “Deportation Assembly Line” for Children

A coalition of immigration advocates and legal-aid providers filed a federal lawsuit in Maryland on October 15 alleging that the Trump administration has stripped statutory protections for unaccompanied migrant children and undocumented minors. The complaint says the government is fast-tracking deportations, forcing children into court without counsel, and ignoring federal law that requires child-appropriate procedures. Plaintiffs cite a ProPublica analysis that the number of unaccompanied minors removed has more than tripled compared to President Trump’s first term.

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The suit challenges two new policies: (1) a requirement that children file asylum applications within weeks of entry, and a one-day notice before an asylum interview that determines refugee status. Historically, the Flores Settlement (1997), the Homeland Security Act of 2002, and the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 set standards for due process, legal representation, and specialized “affirmative” asylum interviews. Under the current rules, judges are instructed to clear detained child dockets by January 2027, leaving attorneys insufficient time to prepare cases.

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Advocates describe children appearing before judges in distress, such as a child with a documented heart condition who was forced to continue a virtual asylum interview while experiencing chest pain. Martinez’s Chicago office has represented more than 400 unaccompanied minors. The lawsuit also warns that after the administration let contracts lapse on July 31, an estimated 26,000 children and teens could be left without paid legal representation.

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Senator Dianne Feinstein recalled witnessing a 15-year-old girl shackled at an asylum hearing, underscoring long-standing concerns about child detention conditions.

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• “It’s basically sending the kids back to countries where their life is in danger, and may end up getting killed,” — Martizen

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• “The government is stopping at nothing to fast-track the deportations of these children,” — Mickey Donovan-Kaloust

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• “As she told her story to an immigration judge, she could not wipe away her tears because her hands were chained to her waist,” — Sen. Dianne Feinstein

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• “I’ve been in immigration court observing as well for the past few weeks, have seen firsthand kids getting removed, even when attorneys from the organization that is supposed to be helping them are present and not speaking up for the kids,” — Cristel Martinez, an immigration attorney in Chicago

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