Three-year-old child forced to serve as her own attorney in Tucson immigration court
Three-year-old Lucy approached the lawyer’s table wearing a multi-colored and floral dress and bright red pants.
The child, barely old enough to talk, was one of 25 immigrant children forced to fight removal efforts by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at the Pima County immigration courthouse in Tucson on Nov. 24.
Unable to reach the chair on her own, Lucy was lifted into the seat by Ana Islas, a lawyer with the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project (FIRRP), a nonprofit providing legal services to immigrants.
Islas pulled out a brown teddy bear to ease the toddler’s nerves while she faced Judge Irene C. Feldman. Islas is not formally representing Lucy, but provided Feldman with information regarding Lucy’s case due to her age and inability to understand immigration proceedings.
Lucy and the other unaccompanied minors who are fighting removal orders must appear in front of the judge, many without the help of a lawyer, to defend themselves from accusations of illegal entry into the US.
At Lucy’s first hearing in August, an attorney with FIRRP explained that despite a desire to assist the child, the nonprofit lost most of their federal funding in March after the Trump administration terminated contracts. As a result of the funding cuts, the group is unable to take on new clients despite continued demand for their legal services.
Feldman postponed Lucy’s case to November to give her more time to find a lawyer. While she has been unable to do so, Islas informed the judge last week that the shelter Lucy is housed in has made progress in reuniting her with a potential sponsor in the US, and they are optimistic Lucy will perhaps be able to reunite with a family member soon. It is unclear where Lucy’s parents are.
“I hope Lucy gets to safety,” Judge Feldman said before postponing her next hearing to March 2026.
Unaccompanied minors like Lucy flee their home countries for a number of reasons, including to get away from violent crime, gang violence, and economic turmoil— often at the urging of their own parents, according to the National Immigration Forum, an immigration advocacy group. [Continue reading…]