Northwest Immigrant Rights Project – May 4, 2026

Every day in this country, immigrants are expected to represent themselves in immigration court. Unlike individuals in the criminal court system, immigrants facing removal or deportation proceedings in immigration court are generally not appointed an attorney to represent them.

In these proceedings, they are asked to explain what they have lived through, why they are afraid, and what will happen if they are forced to return. The questions are complex and intrusive, often re-triggering past traumas while actively creating new ones. The setting is unfamiliar and highly formal. The language is often not their own.

And the stakes could not be higher.

This is happening every day, in courtrooms across the country.

This includes children, youth, and, yes, even infants who must represent themselves.

At NWIRP, we serve people across this harmful and unjust system—adults, families, and young people—working to ensure no one is left to navigate their immigration cases alone.

But for infants, children, and youth, the stakes take on a different weight.

In our Unaccompanied Children Program (UCP)—which is one of two dedicated programs at NWIRP focused on children and youth—24 attorneys and legal advocates work directly with roughly 550 young clients each year. They prepare them, represent them, and remain a steady presence of support through every stage of their case.

But that work is becoming increasingly unstable, as UCP is a federally-funded program now operating under the Trump administration and its aggressive new immigration enforcement model: one that is built on mass detention, aggressive inland raids, and the utilization of third countries for removals.

Currently, funding for this program is only secured through July 31. Beyond that, there is no clear long-term path. Thousands of unaccompanied immigrant children and youth will be impacted nationwide, and the consequences will be immediate.

Let me be clear in stating this: NWIRP will not step away from those already in our care. Every one of them will be supported through the full duration of their case, so long as resources allow.

But the pressure on this work is intensifying, and the gaps between what our clients need and what systems provide continues to widen.

Let me also be clear in stating that community support will matter more in the months and years ahead.

It’s imperative that immigration legal defense not be under-resourced, especially in today’s climate, so I invite you to make a donation today to support our collective efforts to protect others.

If you choose to act alongside our growing community of supporters, your donation will help ensure NWIRP’s ability to remain nimble while continuing to defend community members of all ages—right now, and without interruptions.

Thank you for making this work possible. With you and so many others on our side, we can meet the challenges of today while helping build a more just system in its place.

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Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
nwirp.org

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