Immigrant legal services organizations and coalitions urged the City Council to restore or expand funding for multiple legal assistance initiatives and to respond to a federal contract termination that cut funding for representation of unaccompanied children.

Unaccompanied minors funding crisis: The federal Unaccompanied Children Program (UCP) contract termination in March eliminated nearly $14 million in federal funding and left roughly 1,300 children without funded legal counsel overnight, witnesses said. The Eye Care Coalition and others asked for emergency discretionary dollars to stabilize representation and requested $5.4 million (emergency funds) plus $6.3 million in discretionary funding for the UMFI program to backfill the termination and protect existing caseloads.

City-funded immigrant legal programs: Witnesses including Unlocal and Legal Services NYC requested continued or increased support for the Pro Se Plus project, the Immigrant Opportunity Initiative, immigrant health initiatives, and the Immigrant Legal Services baseline. Speakers described these city programs as critical to preventing deportation, preserving family unity, and avoiding other costly city interventions.

Why the city should act: Providers warned that without replacement funding, children and families will face asylum hearings without counsel and endure higher risk of removal or homelessness, with downstream effects across shelter, public benefits and school systems.

DSS and Council follow-up: DSS and council staff said they will continue to work with providers on the council's discretionary and baseline requests and to track UMFI stabilization needs.

Ending: Providers asked the council to treat immigrant legal services funding as a priority in the FY26 budget and offered concrete cost and caseload figures for follow-up.