Trump-associated Firm Secures $150M Contract for Migrant Lawyers

WHO:

NBC News - The Trump administration awarded a contract to the Houston-based Burke Law Group.

NBC News - Michael Lukens, head of the Amica Center, expressed concerns about the contract.

NBC News - Marcella Burke, founder of Burke Law Group, served in Trump’s first administration as a lawyer in the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior.

NBC News - Justin Shubow, a supporter of Trump’s architectural style initiatives, is associated with the firm.

NBC News - Ilya Shapiro, a prominent conservative legal scholar, is listed as a “senior counsel” at the firm.

WHAT:

NBC News - The Trump administration awarded a $150 million contract to provide legal representation to unaccompanied migrant children.

NBC News - The contract is a “single source cooperative agreement,” meaning it was awarded without a competitive bidding process.

NBC News - The contract starts on August 15 and is for one year.

NBC News - There are currently about 1,800 children living in government-run shelters and roughly 22,000 living outside with sponsors.

WHERE:

NBC News - The contract was awarded to a law firm based in Houston, Texas.

NBC News - The Office of Refugee Resettlement is the federal agency responsible for overseeing unaccompanied migrant children.

WHEN:

NBC News - The contract starts on August 15.

WHY:

NBC News - The contract was awarded as the Trump administration ramps up its mass deportation campaign.

NBC News - Legal aid groups expressed concerns that the contract could make migrant children vulnerable to deportation.

HOW:

NBC News - The contract was awarded without a competitive bidding process, which raised concerns among legal aid groups.

NBC News - The administration has been asking for detailed information about clients from legal aid providers, which they claim they cannot ethically provide.

(UPDATED August 7, 2026 04:00 UTC)

The Trump administration has awarded a $150 million contract to the Houston-based Burke Law Group to provide legal representation for unaccompanied migrant children, starting on August 15. This contract, which is a single source cooperative agreement awarded without a competitive bidding process, has raised concerns among legal aid groups about the potential vulnerability of these children to deportation. The Office of Refugee Resettlement, responsible for overseeing unaccompanied migrant children, currently has about 1,800 children in government-run shelters and roughly 22,000 living with sponsors.