New York Governor Kathy Hochul is committing $7.25 million in state funding to provide legal services for approximately 1,400 unaccompanied migrant children facing immigration proceedings in New York.
Hochul announced the funding this week alongside Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.Â
The initiative comes after the Trump administration ended a federal contract that had supported legal representation for unaccompanied migrant children since 2023.
The children affected include about 250 who are currently detained in New York.Â
Many face complicated immigration proceedings without a guaranteed right to a government-appointed attorney.
The state’s Office for New Americans will administer contracts with legal service providers to help ensure children continue receiving representation. The funding is intended to support young people who were previously served through the federal program.
Hochul said New York is stepping in to prevent children from being left without legal assistance during a particularly vulnerable period.
The federal government has since announced interim arrangements for providing legal representation to unaccompanied minors, but state officials said uncertainty remains over how future federal contracts will operate.
Hochul said the state will continue working to protect vulnerable children and ensure they have access to legal services as their immigration cases move forward.
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