Washington, DC – On June 11, Kids in Need of Defense’s U.S. Headquarters in Washington, DC, was among several U.S. legal service providers visited by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents and the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG) as part of a coordinated operation targeting federal subcontractors who provide legal services to unaccompanied children. The agents, who did not have a search warrant, were denied access to KIND’s office.
“This HSI and HHS OIG operation is consistent with ongoing administration efforts targeting nonprofit organizations operating in the immigration space and undermining legal services for unaccompanied children seeking safety in the United States,” said KIND President Wendy Young. “We will not participate in activities that are unsupported by legal warrants or cause.”
Young added, “The fact is that legal service providers like KIND are some of the greatest allies in protecting unaccompanied children in the U.S. immigration system. We help ensure that unaccompanied children comply with immigration requirements under U.S. law, appear for their immigration court hearings, and remain in communication with U.S. immigration officials. We are oftentimes these children’s most critical line of defense against trafficking, exploitation, and abuse. We also render immigration court proceedings more efficient in a time of significant adjudicatory backlogs. That is KIND’s mission and that will remain our focus no matter what challenges or intimidation tactics come our way.”
The HSI and HHS OIG operation took place as legal service providers across the nation await federal payments for completed legal services provided under a federal contract stemming from longstanding U.S. anti-trafficking laws that recognize the importance of legal services in protecting children from mistreatment, trafficking, and other harm. This law requires the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement to provide legal representation for unaccompanied children “to the greatest extent practicable.” ORR is currently failing to meet its contractual obligations by refusing to provide reimbursements for legal services already rendered, stating that it would not release back payments to the nonprofit organizations that are contracted to perform such work until the groups provide information that has never before been requested and risks attorney-client privilege.
KIND, a subcontractor under the federal funding currently awarded to Acacia, is owed more than $20 million for services completed as far back as December 2025. No payment has yet been processed. A recent letter signed by more than 70 members of Congress called on Secretary Robert Kennedy to immediately address the delayed payments and abandon new reporting requirements that fall outside of contract’s existing, agreed upon terms.
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Media Contact: Megan McKenna, mmckenna@supportkind.org, 202-631-9990