The information in this blog post is current as of October 19, 2026.
The Children’s Immigration Law Academy (CILA) is a project of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Commission on Immigration. As part of the ABA Giving Day, we encourage you to donate whatever amount you can and to share our message with your community. Your gift, between now and October 29, will help us achieve our goal and help CILA in a time of great need as an organization. With access to protection narrowing, increased immigration enforcement, and youth facing increasingly complicated proceedings while also potentially losing access to counsel, CILA’s work is more important than ever.
We want to see a future where children do not have to face immigration proceedings alone. Children in immigration proceedings have no right to appointed legal counsel. The data shows that 780,000 children were facing deportation in immigration court as of August 2026, and over fifty-seven percent of these children had no attorney. Your gift to CILA helps ensure more unaccompanied children are represented in immigration court and that the advocates who serve them have the support they need, which is particularly important in this climate when law and policy change frequently.
CILA stands as a leader in the field. Since 2015, when nonprofits rushed to respond to a growing need for legal representation of unaccompanied children, CILA did the same and quickly established to support attorneys, legal and social work staff, and pro bono attorneys. In 2026, CILA continues to deliver high-quality trainings, respond to requests for technical assistance to answer individual case-related questions from attorneys and staff, create written resources to track changes and provide information on complex issues, and host working group meetings to connect practitioners across the country. In a difficult climate and in unstable waters, CILA stands firm as an organization that advocates can rely upon to help when help is needed most.
This October marks the third month since CILA and other organizations across the country lost federal funding to provide services to unaccompanied immigrant children and their advocates. In September, the ABA’s Commission on Immigration held a briefing on the challenges that CILA, ProBAR, and IJP are facing and what it means for the children we serve. The recording can be viewed here. The loss of federal funding has affected CILA’s operations and made our future uncertain. Without CILA, advocates and the immigrant youth they serve would face an even tougher landscape. Advocates would have fewer resources and support to navigate frequent changes in law and policy during times of funding and staff cuts at their organizations. These diminishing resources impact youth directly—limiting their access to counsel and their ability to secure legal relief and safety in the United States.
Pro bono representation and donor engagement are essential to prevent these vulnerable children from going to court alone and to protect due process for youth. We seek your support today and ask for a donation this ABA Giving Day.
For more information about CILA, please visit our Annual Reports webpage. Thank you for investing in a future where every voice is heard, every perspective is valued, and justice is truly for all. Donate to CILA this Giving Day.