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Unaccompanied children face rapid deportation hearings, often without lawyers

Jun 20, 2026

Unaccompanied children face rapid deportation hearings, often without lawyers
Photo via The New Yorker

The Trump administration has systematized rapid deportation hearings for unaccompanied children, with judges ordered to process cases in minutes, waive interpretation, and rule against asylum and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status applications; judges with favorable grant rates have been fired amid recruitment for "deportation judges." In El Paso's federal immigration court, more than two dozen children, some as young as 7, have appeared before judges in hearings lasting under 10 minutes, many without legal representation. In one case, a 7-year-old boy separated from his deported father agreed through his attorney to voluntary return within 60 days at government expense to reunite with him. The shift has increased the rate of minors ordered removed or agreeing to voluntary departure sevenfold, while border closures and reduced pro-bono legal representation have shrunk the custody backlog.

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