Kelly, Colleagues Demand Answers on Trump-Aligned Law Firm Hired to Represent Unaccompanied Children

Today, Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and other Senate colleagues demanded answers from Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after the Trump administration awarded a no-bid contract to a Trump-aligned law firm with no apparent immigration law experience, allowing them to provide legal services to unaccompanied children in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).

"Given the political connections between the firm's senior leadership and the Trump administration, we have concerns about why you sidestepped the competitive bidding process to select this firm to provide legal services for children who are in ORR care and custody, and demand transparency into whether all federal procurement processes were followed," the senators wrote. "Children deserve competent representation by attorneys who practice at the intersection of child welfare and federal immigration law, but Americans also deserve to know why their federal dollars are being doled out to Trump's friends and allies."

The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through ORR, has an obligation to ensure that unaccompanied children are provided competent legal aid as they navigate the immigration process. Despite this, Secretary Kennedy has cut funding for nonprofit legal services for 26,000 unaccompanied children, shifting funding to the Trump-aligned Burke Law Group, despite the firm's lack of experience protecting the rights of immigrant children.

In the letter, the senators demanded that Secretary Kennedy provide transparency as to why the Burke Law Group received this contract and details about the firm's plans to provide legal assistance to unaccompanied children.

In addition to Kelly and Murphy, the letter was signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Full text of the letter is available here.