Securing Access to Justice
Why New Jersey Needs to Prioritize Legal Representation for Unaccompanied Children
Today, we need your help more than ever! Join us in advocating for legal representation for unaccompanied children in New Jersey, where the number of released unaccompanied children from federal custody ranks fifth in the United States.
The New Jersey Legislature is currently considering budget requests as they work with the Governor’s Proposed Budget for FY2026. We need your support to call on our legislature to restore funding for the Legal Representation for Children and Youth Program to last year’s level. This program ensures that vulnerable children receive quality legal representation and support as they integrate into our communities. Providing these services helps unaccompanied children feel supported and safe, so they can thrive and contribute positively to our communities. With your support, we can continue to make an impact in their lives and create a brighter future for all children who call New Jersey home.
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Governor Murphy’s proposed 2026 budget includes $3 million in funding for the legal services to unaccompanied children to provide legal representation and case management to unaccompanied children and similarly situated youth living in New Jersey. This is a reduced level of funding from last year’s passed budget which included $6 million for this program. With the increasing number of children and youth released to families in our state, we need to develop a pipeline of high-quality advocates who can provide the necessary legal services and the support to these vulnerable children. With robust support of this program, we believe that we can make a real difference in the lives of unaccompanied children in New Jersey. To achieve this, we are calling on the NJ legislature to restore funding to the full $6 million level, by including an additional $3 million budget resolution for the Legal Representation for Children and Youth Program. This is essential to ensure that children receive the quality legal representation they need in their removal defense, as well as the necessary capacity building and training for current and future legal providers.
🗣️ Contact your Legislators:
Find your district and legislators here.
Call or email your Budget and Appropriations Leaders and urge them to support renewed and increased funding for the Legal Representation for Children and Youth Program:
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Subject Line: Support Senate BR #611, Assembly BR #437 - Level Funding for Legal Representation for Children and Youth Program
Hello,
My name is [Your Name], and I'm contacting you as a constituent and community advocate to ask for your support for renewing the Legal Representation for Children and Youth Program at its current funding. We are seeking a $3 million increase from the proposed budget to keep funding at $6 million for this program. Keeping the current funding level is essential to ensure unaccompanied children living across the entire state have access to expert legal representation in their defense against deportation back to dangerous conditions, as well as providing social services support to give them a fair opportunity to integrate into their communities and thrive in New Jersey. Your support and co-sponsorship of this resolution is vital to the continued provision of these services. Including full funding at $6 million for this program in the final budget will ensure children in our state have a meaningful chance for safe and healthy lives in New Jersey.
Can we count on your support for this budget resolution?
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Subject Line: Support Senate BR #611, Assembly BR #437 - Level Funding for Legal Representation for Children and Youth Program
Hello [Legislator Name],
My name is [Your Name], and I'm reaching out today as a community advocate to ask for your support to fully fund the renewal of the Legal Representation for Children and Youth Program. The resolution seeks a $3 million increase from the proposed budget to keep funding at $6 million for this program. Access to quality legal representation and social services are essential to ensuring that unaccompanied immigrant children living in our state have a fair opportunity to integrate into their communities and thrive in New Jersey. Your support and co-sponsorship of this resolution is crucial. I urge you to take action and support this budget resolution.
Thank you for your time.
Safeguarding Immigrant Services:
Why New Jersey needs to permanently establish the Office of New Americans
We need your help! Join us in advocating for the codification of New Jersey’s Office of New Americans (ONA) by encouraging your legislators to pass A2486/S2496.
The New Jersey Legislature is currently considering a bill that would codify ONA in state law under the Department of Human Services, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the office. We need your support in calling on our legislature to adopt this legislation! The ONA provides vital support services to New Jersey’s immigrant community. The legal services programs the office administers have supported over 2,000 children, preventing family separation and helping them start their journeys in the United States on the right track!
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What is the Office of New Americans? In 2019, the Office of New Americans (ONA) was established by Governor Murphy under Executive Order 79. The ONA’s primary focus is to unite all New Jerseyans, break down barriers, alleviate immigrant families’ struggles to integration, and rebuild trust between government entities and immigrant communities.
What does ONA do? Since it was established, ONA has focused on meeting the rising needs of the immigrant community by providing legal and social services, conducting research and outreach directly to immigrant communities to understand their specific needs, increasing accessibility to vital resources and education, and consulting with other executive agencies to develop best practices for those with different immigrant backgrounds. Additionally, ONA oversees and administers New Jersey’s Refugee Resettlement Program (RRP) in partnership with the International Rescue Committee’s New Jersey’s Office for Refugees (IRC-NJOR).
In 2024, the Office of New Americans administered support to over 10,000 ORR eligible individuals, including refugees, asylees, Cuban and Haitian Humanitarian Parolees, Afghan evacuees and Ukrainians. Additionally, ONA administers legal services programs that have supported nearly 3,000 adults and over 2,000 children which has prevented family separation and community disruption throughout the state.
Why does ONA need to be permanently established? Although ONA has been operating and providing services to the immigrant community since 2019, its future is not certain. Since ONA was established by executive order, it is possible that a future Governor’s administration could eliminate the office by executive order. Adopting this bill would enshrine ONA in state statute under the Department of Human Services, safeguarding it from future administrations who may not appreciate the vital services it provides to New Jersey’s immigrant community, and would make it more difficult to eliminate this office. Ultimately, by codifying ONA, New Jersey can affirm that it both welcomes and recognizes the value of the immigrant population, whose contributions benefit all of New Jersey’s residents.
🗣️ Contact your Legislators:
Find your district and legislators here.
Call or email New Jersey Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee leadership and the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee leadership and urge them to support A2486/S2496, codifying the ONA:
Assemblywoman Shanique Speight (Chair)
AswSpeight@njleg.org
(862) 237-9752
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Dear [Chairman/woman...],
My name is [Your Name], and I am contacting you to ask you to support bill A2486/S2496, codifying New Jersey’s Office of New Americans and to post it to your next Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee/Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee
I support the work of the Office of New Americans, which provides essential services to New Jersey’s immigrant community, including immigrant children, and helps to unite all New Jerseyans, break down barriers, and rebuild trust between government entities and immigrant communities. I believe it is extremely important to codify this office to ensure its important work can continue long-term.
Since it was established, ONA has performed outreach with New Jersey’s immigrant community to respond to their emerging needs and crises that impact New Americans and helped to increase accessibility to vital state programs. The office has administered support to over 10,000 ORR eligible individuals and legal services programs that have supported nearly 3,000 adults and over 2,000 children, preventing family separation and community disruption throughout the state.
By codifying the office, the legislature will send an important message to New Jersey’s immigrant community that New Jersey is a state which both welcomes and recognizes the value of the immigrant population, whose contributions benefit all of New Jersey’s residents.
I see your support of this bill as crucial and urge you to support its passage.
Thank you for your time.
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My name is [Your Name]. I am a constituent, and I am calling to ask Senator/Assemblymember...to support bill A2486/S2496, codifying the Office of New Americans and ensuring its work can continue long-term.
ONA has provided valuable support to NJ immigrants, including by helping them access services. Its programs have helped support refugee resettlement and provided legal services to those in need, including young immigrant children.
With all the negative actions at the federal level occurring against the immigrant community we can show that New Jersey supports its immigrant community by codifying the Office of New Americans. I urge you to support this bill.
Thank you.