KIND was founded by the Microsoft Corporation and UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie, and is the leading national organization that works to ensure that no refugee or immigrant child faces immigration court alone. We do this in partnership with over 600 law firms, corporate legal departments, law schools, and bar associations. KIND has served more than 18,300 children since 2009, and trained over 42,000 private sector attorneys, paralegals, and law students to provide them with high quality representation in their deportation proceedings. KIND promotes protection of children in countries of origin and transit countries and works to address the root causes of child migration from Central America. KIND also advocates to change law, policy, and practices to improve the protection of unaccompanied children in the United States, by educating policymakers, the media, and the broader public about the violence that is driving children out of Central America and their need for protection.
(link to PDF of updated 10 yr timeline)
As outlined in a KIND policy brief earlier this year, the Trump Administration’s enforcement efforts increasingly center the fear and devastation of family separation as a strategy to drive deportations and reduce immigration of children and families. The Administration’s policies and actions are tearing families apart in new and expanding ways, directing government agencies, resources, and personnel to exploit, rather than mitigate, children’s vulnerabilities. But states are taking […]
Read Standing with Families: How KIND Helped Shape Washington’s Response to Family SeparationWashington, DC – Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) warns that the Texas Supreme Court’s June 26 ruling temporarily blocking funding for Harris County’s Immigrant Legal Defense Fund (ILSF) threatens access to legal services that promote fair and efficient court proceedings, protect vulnerable children, and strengthen community well-being. “KIND is deeply concerned by efforts to restrict access to legal […]
Read KIND Condemns Texas Supreme Court Ruling Decision Blocking Essential Immigration Legal FundsWashington, DC – On June 30, 2026, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) gave Acacia Justice Center 30-days’ notice that it plans to cancel its role as a subcontractor under Acacia’s current federal legal service provider contract. KIND’s decision comes as the organization continues to await more than $20 million in overdue payments for federally funded legal services completed as far back as December 2025. The government has indicated that it would not release […]
Read KIND Severs Current Federal Legal Service Provider SubcontractKids in Need of Defense (KIND) respectfully submits the following comments in response to the above Interim Final Rule titled “USCIS Immigration Fees and Related Procedures Required by H.R.1 Reconciliation Bill,” published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on April 29, 2026 (the “IFR”). KIND is deeply concerned that by creating new barriers to […]
Read KIND Comment on USCIS Immigration Fees and Related Procedures Required by H.R.1 Reconciliation BillMegan McKenna, Senior Director of Communications and Community Engagement mmckenna@supportkind.org
Alexandra Pender, Senior Communications Manager, apender@supportkind.org
Alejandra Paz, Communications Project Coordinator, apaz@supportkind.org
