FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Marjorie Menza, Senior Attorney & Fellowship Director
Email: mmenza@trialimpact.org
Website: www.trialimpactproject.org
Los Angeles – September 29, 2026 – Trial Impact Project and Bet Tzedek Legal Services secured the release of Enrique and Sergio*, two unaccompanied children who spent several months in a congregate boys’ facility detained by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) despite having family in the United States fighting to be reunited with them. Sergio was released to his family after Trial Impact Project and Bet Tzedek sent a letter to ORR demanding immediate release. Enrique was released only after Trial Impact Project filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus.
Enrique and Sergio are two of the many children who have been subjected to extended detention and family separation by ORR. After arriving in the United States in March 2026, they were immediately transferred to ORR custody in California. Although ORR is required to promptly release children to a fit sponsor—often the child’s parent, sibling, or close relative—Enrique spent nearly six months and Sergio spent more than four months in detention.
Upon the children’s arrival, Enrique’s mother and Sergio’s aunt promptly submitted sponsorship applications for each child, hoping to quickly reunite. ORR continuously dragged out the application process and refused to release the children into the care of their family, though both mother and aunt underwent thorough background checks and submitted documentation proving their fitness as potential sponsors.
Bet Tzedek Legal Services, which represents Enrique and Sergio in their immigration proceedings, partnered with Trial Impact Project to secure the children’s release. Trial Impact Project and Bet Tzedek sent demand letters to ORR on behalf of Enrique and Sergio, detailing why their extended detention was unlawful and demanding their immediate release to their sponsors. After receiving the demand letters, ORR released Sergio to his aunt but refused to release Enrique, instead requiring his mother to submit to even more invasive vetting.
On July 17, Trial Impact Project filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus on behalf of Enrique, asserting that ORR violated Enrique’s statutory rights under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and his Fifth Amendment right to due process by delaying review of his mother’s sponsor application, thereby extending Enrique’s detention and separation from his family. On August 14, after 163 days of detention, ORR released Enrique to his mother’s care, just in time for him to celebrate his birthday with his family.
“ORR’s continued and excessively long detention of children with family members—including mothers—pleading for their reunification is indefensible,” said Marjorie Menza, Senior Attorney and Fellowship Director at the Trial Impact Project. “We are thrilled that these children are now home with their families but ashamed that our government couldn’t do what was right without involvement from the courts.”
Before 2025, the average length of stay for a child in ORR custody was about one month. According to recent data from ORR, the average length of stay has increased by sixfold, with some children spending upwards of 180 days in ORR custody. These extended stays have largely been driven by the Trump Administration’s recent changes to policies impacting unaccompanied children, making it difficult for unaccompanied children to be released from government custody. Keeping families apart is not only cruel, but each day a child spends in detention increases the risk of lasting harm to their mental health and well-being.
“ORR’s new sponsorship policies have led to the prolonged detention of children such as Enrique and Sergio These policies are further evidence of the Trump Administration’s cruel and purposeful targeting of unaccompanied children, an extremely vulnerable population,” said Rebecca Popuch, Senior Attorney at Bet Tzedek Legal Services. “I am glad that Enrique and Sergio are back where they belong—in a loving home with their family.”
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The Trial Impact Project, formerly known as the Social Justice Legal Foundation, develops civil rights and social impact cases for trial. Working with communities who have historically been denied access to justice, we translate their experiences to the courtroom, unearth the facts to create a public record, and train a new generation of impact litigators to fight for accountability in court—from investigation to verdict.
Bet Tzedek Legal Services is a community organization that provides justice, stability, and hope to those experiencing discrimination, disparities, and exploitation. Based on the central tenet of Jewish law and tradition “tzedek, tzedek, tirdof” — ”justice, justice you shall pursue,” Bet Tzedek provides legal advocacy grounded in the lived experiences of the communities we serve. Through our network of attorneys and advocates, we provide free comprehensive legal services, education, and policy advocacy to low-income individuals and families across Los Angeles County.
* Client names have been changed to protect their identities.
