Trump administration awards $150 million immigrant child legal services contract to Trump-linked law firm

The Trump administration is awarding a $150 million, one-year no-bid contract to Houston-based Burke Law Group to provide legal representation to unaccompanied immigrant children starting August 15, 2026. The selection has drawn criticism because only two of the firm's 26 attorneys practice immigration law, and its founders have close ties to the administration. Meanwhile, a previous contract with nearly 100 legal groups expired on July 31, 2026, after the government failed to pay them for over six months and demanded confidential client data.

Burke Law Group contract award

• ▪The Office of Refugee Resettlement selected Burke Law Group for the immigrant child legal services contract through a single-source cooperative agreement without a standard bidding process
• ▪The Trump administration plans to award a $150 million contract to Houston-based Burke Law Group to provide legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children
• ▪The contract for Burke Law Group to represent unaccompanied immigrant children is scheduled to cover a one-year period starting on August 15, 2026

Trump administration connections

• ▪Marcella Burke, also referred to as Marcella Burkey, is a founder of Burke Law Group who previously served as a Trump administration appointee to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior
• ▪Jeffrey Hall, a former employee and founding partner of Burke Law Group, was appointed and confirmed to serve in the Environmental Protection Agency in late 2025

Limited immigration law expertise

• ▪Michael Lukens, executive director of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, described Burke Law Group as clearly unqualified to represent unaccompanied immigrant children
• ▪Only two of the 26 attorneys currently employed by Burke Law Group practice immigration law, according to the firm's website

Previous contract expiration

• ▪Non-profit leaders stated that the Office of Refugee Resettlement offered to extend the previous legal services contract only if providers agreed to share confidential information about immigrant children and their sponsors
• ▪The federal government allowed an existing legal services contract with a network of nearly 100 legal groups representing immigrant children to expire on July 31, 2026, after failing to pay for their services for over six months

Expedited child deportation policies

• ▪The Trump administration has expedited the removal of immigrant children by moving up immigration hearings by weeks or months and implementing stricter documentation requirements for sponsors
• ▪In June 2026, an average of 1,796 immigrant children were in Office of Refugee Resettlement custody, with an average length of care of 194 days