Washington, 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 back payments to the prime contractor until it and its subcontractor network provide information that has never before been requested and risks attorney-client privilege.
KIND President Wendy Young notes the difficult decision to end KIND’s longstanding participation in this federally funded subcontract for legal services was necessary to ensure the organization’s long-term viability to carry out its global work to protect unaccompanied children seeking safety.
Young states:
“The protection of unaccompanied children is at the heart of every decision we make, and we will continue to deliver on our vital mission to keep them safe at every step of their journey. KIND will not be forced to the sidelines by federal officials who put politics above child protection, but we recognize that their ongoing actions require us to modify our approach to this work. While we are no longer moving forward as a member of the Acacia subcontractor network, KIND will continue to operate in this important space because ensuring unaccompanied children have access to counsel and pathways to safety is as necessary today as at any other moment in time. Our network of more than 900 pro bono partners and funders make this work possible, and we look forward to KIND’s future with them at our side.
“The attacks on federally funded legal service providers and the ongoing delay in payments to these organizations, as well as the unreasonable demand for sensitive data, fail to reflect the vital role attorneys play in protecting unaccompanied children and upholding the rule of law. Legal service providers like KIND are some of the greatest allies in protecting unaccompanied children in the U.S. immigration system. We 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. In addition, we help make immigration court proceedings more efficient in a time of significant adjudicatory backlogs. With those facts in mind, KIND will continue to serve as many unaccompanied children as possible in the days and years ahead.”
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For more information, please contact Brenda Bowser Soder at bbowsersoder@supportkind.org