The Trump administration intends to award a $150 million contract to Burke Law Group, a Texas law firm, to provide legal representation for unaccompanied migrant children in government custody. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced its intention in a notice published in the Federal Register.
The contract aims to offer legal orientation, consultation, and representation services for eligible unaccompanied alien children during immigration proceedings and hearings while they remain in government custody. This proposed award follows reports that legal service providers had $65 million in overdue fees withheld by the administration. Providers allege this is an effort to compel them to surrender confidential information about the children they represent.
Burke Law Group, headquartered in Houston, has 26 employees across eight offices. While immigration law was not initially listed as a primary practice area, the firm has since updated its website to include it. The firm's other practice areas include administrative law, white-collar defense, commercial litigation, and securities litigation. Marcella Burkey, one of the firm's founders, is a former Trump appointee to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior. Jeffrey Hall, a founding partner, also previously served in the EPA.
In December 2023, the Acacia Center for Justice was the prime contract holder with HHS for the Unaccompanied Children Program, managing subcontracts with over 100 service providers assisting more than 20,000 unaccompanied migrant children. HHS stated that Acacia was offered a new contract contingent on providing data on who they represent and billing practices, which Acacia reportedly refused.
Legal service providers, including Acacia, have stated that the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) was demanding client-level data that is confidential and legally privileged. During the Trump administration, groups like Acacia have alleged that unaccompanied children and their sponsors have been targeted under the administration's immigration enforcement policies. Previously, DHS agents visited offices of nonprofit organizations providing legal services to unaccompanied migrant children, and reports indicated the administration was directing immigration agents to track these children within the U.S.