Estrella del Paso Receives Order To Immediately Stop Providing Legal Services to Unaccompanied Children

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 18, 2025

El Paso, TX - Today, Estrella del Paso received a stop work order requiring us to immediately stop providing services to Unaccompanied Children, effectively cutting off legal access to children in government custody. This program is funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement. This action threatens the ongoing representation of approximately 26,000 children both in and outside the shelter system who have pending immigration proceedings, including 1,273 children who are clients of Estrella del Paso and currently have active immigration cases.

This is a devastating situation for children who arrived without parents or legal guardians in the United States, including children currently in ORR custody who need to understand the legal context they are facing. This action also directly impacts children living throughout the El Paso area who have come to rely on Estrella del Paso to navigate their complex and often sensitive legal cases.

In 2024, Estrella del Paso’s Unaccompanied Minors Program provided services to nearly 9,000 (8,763) children in El Paso area shelters operated by ORR. These services include Know Your Rights presentations, legal screenings, and referrals to in-house attorneys for representation. The program also employs more than 30 people left with the uncertainty of their employment status.

“Children are among the most vulnerable in our country. Regardless of where the child is born, every child has rights. Today’s action is an affront to due process and denies children access to critical services and legal representation in an overly complex and broken immigration system,” said Melissa M. Lopez, Executive Director of Estrella del Paso.

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Estrella_del_Paso_Press_Release_Unaccompanied_Children_Stop_Work_Order.pdf