Judge Orders Trump to Restore Legal Aid for Mentally Ill Migrants

Ruling slams Trump-era policy shift that gutted representation for detained immigrants with mental disabilities in 47 states.

WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Monday ordered the U.S. Department of Justice to reinstate a policy that provides legal representation to immigrants deemed mentally incompetent to represent themselves in immigration court, ruling the agency’s decision to end the program was unlawful.

U.S. District Judge Amir Ali found that the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) acted arbitrarily and capriciously when it rescinded the National Qualified Representative Program (NQRP), violating the Administrative Procedure Act. The program, established in 2013, connects detained migrants with mental disabilities to qualified legal representatives during bond and removal proceedings.