NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 31: Children wait outside of an immigration court at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building on July 31, 2026 in New York City. More than 1,400 migrant children across New York, including more than 700 in New York City, are set …
A Houston law firm said it would be withdrawing from consideration of a federal contract to represent unaccompanied migrant children in immigration court.
What they're saying:
Burke Law Group said on social media that they were "approached to fill a gap in legal services and were considering how we might help."
"We have decided not to apply for a grant or a contract, and we withdraw from consideration," the group said.
The Office of Refuge Resettlement confirmed Burke had withdrawn from consideration Wednesday morning.
"On August 4, 2026, a Federal Register Notice was published to share ORR’s intent to enter into a cooperative agreement with Burke Law Group, PLLC, a private law firm with a strong geographic presence in Texas," an ORR spokesperson said. "Burke Law Group has declined to apply and has not been awarded any grant with ORR."
The backstory:
Last week, a filing in the federal register showed Burke being awarded a no-bid contract worth up to $150 million.
Burke said the
The law group, led by former Trump appointee Marcella Burke, said they were only considering applying for a small portion of the grant money to "help address the humanitarian crisis."
Soon after the filing appeared, advocacy groups voiced concern over the apparent choice to award the grant to Burke.
Previous work to provide legal services to unaccompanied minors was facilitated through Acacia Center for Justice, which was first awarded the contract in 2023.
What's next:
The ORR said it was continuing to work with the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Mission Acquisition Solutions to explore all avenues to provide legal services to unaccompanied migrant children.
"Details regarding this work are procurement sensitive but will be shared once a contract is formally secured.
The agency said the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants would provide legal services through Dec. 31, 2026.
What they're saying:
"ORR is committed to ensuring every UAC has legal representation in immigration court, which is why ORR began using the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) to provide legal representation to all UAC in ORR care on August 5th," ORR said in a statement.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Burke Law Group and previous FOX Local reporting.