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FOR the tens of thousands of Central American unaccompanied children who have entered into the US in recent years, the journey doesn’t stop at the border: They must appear at an immigration hearing where a judge decides if they have legal relief to stay in the country.
However, only about half of these children are represented by a lawyer in court.
Around 48% of unaccompanied children who had immigration cases decided between 2005 and June 2014 went through their hearings without legal representation, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse Immigration Project.
TRAC’s data also estimates that only 31% of children with pending immigration cases have secured attorneys. Meanwhile, a prosecutor from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is always present at hearings to represent the government.
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