Lawyers helping migrant children facing deportation ordered by Trump administration to "stop all work"

Legal services groups that offer representation and guidance to thousands of migrant children facing deportation said on Tuesday that they were abruptly directed by the Trump administration to halt their government-funded work.

Affected organizations across the U.S. said the move would prevent them from offering critical legal services, including "know your rights" sessions, to migrant children who crossed the U.S. southern border without their parents or legal guardians.

Under U.S. law, the Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for housing unaccompanied migrant minors who enter the U.S. without legal authorization, until they turn 18 or can be placed with a sponsor, who is typically a relative in the U.S. The government has long funded efforts by nonprofits to provide these children legal counsel — both in custody and after they are released from government care — while immigration judges decide whether they can remain in the U.S.