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NEW YORK – Today, the Vera Institute of Justice updated its Immigration Court Legal Representation Dashboard to include representation data for children, including unaccompanied children. The data—not readily available in government records— shows the number of children, including unaccompanied children, facing deportation and how many have never had an attorney by their side as the Trump administration implements devastating new policies to obstruct due process and access to representation for immigrants.

More unaccompanied children have their cases decided in immigration court without ever having an attorney than before Trump’s second inauguration. Since retaking office, President Trump has weaponized immigration courts, narrowed legal pathways, empowered ICE agents to conduct violent enforcement operations, and dismantled the unaccompanied children's program, leaving children, some less than a year old, to navigate legal proceedings alone.

Shayna Kessler, director of the Advancing Universal Representation initiative at the Vera Institute of Justice, said: “The Trump administration's treatment of unaccompanied immigrant children seeking protection and stability in this country is legally suspect and morally unconscionable. There is no due process in a system that forces children to represent themselves in court, alone, against experienced government attorneys. This new resource provides urgently needed transparency as the Trump administration continues to implement policies that attack due process.”

KEY FINDINGS:

• As of August 2026, at least 702,220 children are facing deportation in immigration court, more than half (53 percent) of whom have never had legal representation.
• An estimated 123,320 unaccompanied children across the United States are currently facing deportation in immigration court. Of unaccompanied children's cases completed so far in 2026, 55 percent never had representation in immigration court. This is up 7 percentage points from 2025 and 17 percentage points from 2024.
• An estimated 84 percent of all unaccompanied children's cases completed in August 2026 resulted in outcomes that required their departure from the United States. This compares to 54 percent in August 2025 and 33 percent in August 2024.
  

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About the Vera Institute of Justice: The Vera Institute of Justice is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and policy experts working to transform the criminal justice and immigration systems until they’re fair for all. Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change. We develop just, antiracist solutions so that money doesn’t determine freedom; fewer people are in jails, prisons, and immigration detention; and everyone is treated with dignity. Vera’s headquarters is in Brooklyn, New York, with offices in Washington, DC, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit vera.org