Estrella del Paso to close Unaccompanied Children Program, attorney layoffs expected

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Estrella del Paso, the largest provider of free immigration legal services in West Texas and Southern New Mexico and the only provider of unaccompanied children's services in El Paso, is set to close its program this Friday.

In a news conference along with other migrant advocates and legal organizations, its Executive Director Melissa M. Lopez announced the closure of the program.

Legal representation for thousands of unaccompanied immigrant children faces a total collapse as a federal funding contract is set to expire tomorrow, July 31, 2026.

Frontline legal service providers warned today that without immediate action, tens of thousands of children will be forced to represent themselves against trained government attorneys. The funding crisis follows a standoff that began in November 2025, when the Trump Administration started withholding payments from legal service providers.

The administration has reportedly withheld the funds in an effort to force organizations to release sensitive and privileged information regarding the children they represent.

The Defending Our Neighbors Fund, which hosted the briefing this week, has issued emergency grants to several frontline legal service providers.

This assistance aims to maintain representation for children while federal payments remain stalled, though providers warn that these funds are not a permanent solution to the loss of federal support.

Executive director Lopez says the network of providers has spent two decades building specialized institutional knowledge specifically for children who have experienced trauma.

“Over the course of 20 years, this network of legal service providers has developed a unique level of expertise working with children who have experienced trauma,” Lopez said. “We have spent 20 years building this institutional knowledge that we are going to lose on Friday. There is no replacing the organizations providing these services.”

If the contract is not renewed, tens of thousands of unaccompanied children will be forced to navigate the court system alone, according to the organizations. These children would face trained government attorneys without professional counsel, a situation providers say leads directly to removal orders.

“We know what happens to children that go to court without an attorney. In one word, it is deportation,” Lopez said. “The government is trying to eliminate our work and this program because they know that without attorneys, children will be deported.”

The federal contract funding the program is scheduled to expire tomorrow, July 31, 2026. Legal service providers stated that immediate federal action is required to renew the contract and prevent the loss of representation for children.