U.S. Seeking Lawyers To Help Border Children In Courts?

The U.S. Justice Department is “trying to find lawyers who are willing to represent” those border children facing immigration court and the Obama administration is working to improve that New Mexico detention center, according to Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who addressed the issues this week.

He also cautioned about considering the crisis “over” just because the number of Central American children arriving at the border has slowed. It could resume a higher rate, he explained. Some 400,000 cases are backlogged in the system, according to immigration court observers. Because immigration cases are civil, those facing the government are not guaranteed representation.

In a report, USA Today also notes that “… civil rights groups have sued the federal government over conditions at the Artesia center. The suit, filed in federal district court in Washington, says immigration officials are trying to rush deportations while creating legal hurdles to discourage migrants from seeking asylum and making it difficult for them to meet with attorneys.”