When we talk about justice, most of us picture fairness, dignity, and the right to be heard. We don’t picture a child standing in front of a judge with no one to speak for them.

In just a few weeks, children as young as four could be standing in immigration court alone, without anyone to defend them. That’s because President Trump cut the program that once provided unaccompanied migrant kids with lawyers. Here in San Diego, about 300 children will lose their attorneys after September 30.

As a mom, I can’t imagine my daughter walking into a courtroom alone. No parent would.

But we don’t have to accept that. On September 9, I’ll bring forward a plan to expand eligibility for our County’s Immigrant Legal Defense Program so every child has someone by their side in court. 

👉 Submit  an eComment  in support before the vote.

When Abrar was evacuated from Kabul in 2021, he was just 15. He didn’t speak English. He didn’t know a soul here. And he had been trampled and torn from his family in the chaos at the airport. Alone, he had no chance. With an attorney, he found protection and finally reunited with his loved ones here in San Diego.

Stories like his are why we launched San Diego’s Immigrant Legal Defense Program (ILDP) in 2022. In just a few years, it has already represented more than 3,000 San Diegans facing deportation or wrongful detention. The program works. It delivers fairer outcomes, speeds up proceedings in the notoriously backlogged immigration system, and saves taxpayers money. Now, we must expand it to protect children who would otherwise have no one standing with them in court.

These are children — sometimes toddlers — who may not speak English, don’t understand our legal system, and are being told to face a federal prosecutor by themselves. Expecting a four-year-old to argue immigration law against a trained government attorney is not justice.

In San Diego, no child should ever stand in court alone.

👉 Submit your eComment today so the Board knows where you stand before the September 9 vote.