The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 Tuesday to expand the county's Immigrant Legal Defense Program to include unaccompanied immigrant children.
The vote expands the county program that began in 2021 to provide legal representation for migrant children appearing in immigration court.
"A fair day in court is impossible without a lawyer," Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer said in a statement. "Expecting a child to navigate immigration court — in a language they don't speak — against a federal prosecutor is not just unrealistic, it's unjust."
A statement from Lawson-Remer's office said that federal funding supporting legal representation for unaccompanied migrant children is set to expire at the end of the month.
More than 300 migrant children are in San Diego County and her office said in a statement, "Without this local expansion, those children could be forced to represent themselves alone in court starting Oct. 1."
Before Tuesday's vote, Supervisor Jim Desmond said that although he didn't support the program in general, "these are kids and they should not have to suffer alone or go through these proceedings alone."
Supervisor Joel Anderson cast the lone no vote.
Anderson said in a statement to City News Service on Tuesday evening that out of all of California's 58 counties, "we are the only ones proposing this because those counties understand it's a federal issue and I agree with them."
