STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York is committing $7.2 million in state funding to maintain legal services for unaccompanied migrant children facing deportation proceedings after a federal contract providing representation expired, state officials announced Wednesday.

At a joint news conference involving state and city officials, Gov. Kathy Hochul said the funding will assist roughly 1,400 children with active removal cases. More than 250 of those children are currently being held in detention.

The New York State Office for New Americans is establishing contracts with a coalition of legal service organizations led by the Hispanic Federation. The effort is intended to provide continued representation to children who had previously received assistance through the now-expired federal program.

No child in our state should ever face the fear and uncertainty of the immigration process without advocates and legal support in their corner,” Hochul said. “While the Trump Administration is walking away from these children, New York is stepping up to help bridge the gap and ensure their continued access to the services they need and deserve.”

Hochul said federal law has required the government to provide legal assistance to migrant children for nearly 20 years, a policy followed by both Democratic and Republican administrations. She emphasized that attorneys are especially important for unaccompanied minors, who can face increased risks of trafficking, exploitation and abuse.

The Trump administration allowed a federal contract for legal representation of unaccompanied children to expire on July 31. The Acacia Center for Justice, through its network of immigration attorneys, had previously overseen legal assistance for approximately 24,000 unaccompanied minors.

“Today, as a result of this decision, children who have fled violence, trafficking, war, and abuse will walk into courtrooms alone,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the press conference Wednesday.

“Many of them had no other option but to travel here by themselves across thousands of miles. When they made it here to our city, they thought that maybe the worst would be behind them, that things would be different, but now they will stand alone again, as they face attacks from a trained government attorney across the aisle, whose sole objective is to deport them back to the place they endured so much to escape.”

According to the Washington Post, the Trump administration has awarded the Houston-based Burke Law Group a new, one-year, $150 million no-bid contract to provide legal services. The selection has drawn criticism from some experts, who have questioned the firm’s limited experience in immigration and child-advocacy law as well as its financial connections to the administration.

“New York will never stand by while vulnerable children are left to navigate our immigration system alone,” said state Attorney General Letitia James, who previously worked pro bono to represent unaccompanied migrant minors in court. “We will continue fighting to protect immigrant New Yorkers and push back against federal overreach that puts families and communities at risk.”

Earlier this year, Hochul signed legislation aimed at limiting the role of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New York. The measure bars local governments and law enforcement agencies from entering agreements with the federal government for civil immigration enforcement, restricts officers from wearing face coverings while interacting with the public and creates a state-law pathway for New Yorkers to sue government officials over alleged constitutional-rights violations.

The legislation also restricts immigration enforcement activities at sensitive locations and protects migrant students’ ability to attend school regardless of their immigration status.