HHS contract termination may put legal services for 20,000 unaccompanied immigrant children at risk

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) - A newly terminated federal contract may impact the future of more than 20,000 unaccompanied immigrant children nationwide.The Department of Health and Human Services terminated a three year contract with Acacia Center for Justice on Friday.The $65 million contract provided free legal counsel to unaccompanied immigrant children though a network of providers around the country. One of those providers is the Americans for Immigrant Justice, a Miami based legal organization who says they’ve faced a multitude of problems in their time as a subcontractor. “We have had to make cuts because of the end of the contract, but there’s two parts. We also haven’t been paid for the last few months of work, about five or six months of work, so we’ve been using our reserves to continue these services,” Alexandra Manrique Alfonso with American for Immigrant Justice said. “This month, we’ve made the decision to furlough half the team after July 31.”Th