Florence Project Files Habeas Corpus Petition to Protect 108 Unaccompanied Children in Arizona from Out of State Transfer
Phoenix, AZ – The Florence Project on Monday, July 6, 2026 filed a petition of writ of habeas corpus to protect the rights of 108 unaccompanied children in government custody in Arizona. The petition asks the court to prevent the government from transferring the 108 children out of Arizona and away from their legal representatives. The right to legal counsel for unaccompanied children is enshrined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA). The petition is filed in response to credible intelligence and reporting in three separate news stories that the government plans to attempt to circumvent due process by moving children away from their legal advocates and to Texas and Louisiana to expedite their deportation. This plan is the latest in a series of escalating threats to the rights and safety of unaccompanied immigrant children.
“Less than a year after attempting to summarily remove children from Guatemala against their wishes and in violation of their rights, the Trump administration is once again attacking unaccompanied immigrant children in an unlawful scheme to circumvent due process and expedite deportations,” said Roxana Avila-Cimpeanu, the Deputy Director at the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project. “The Florence Project filed this petition to protect our clients from yet another illegal removal scheme, including several children who were impacted by the events of Labor Day Weekend 2025 and who would be further traumatized if they were transferred away from the legal advocates they have grown to trust during their legal proceedings. Federal law does not permit children to be treated as pawns in an immigration enforcement system; it requires child-centered custody. In this petition, we are simply asking the court to ensure that the government adheres to that standard.”
The petition is filed on behalf 108 children in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement in Arizona, including a 5-month-old U.S. citizen who is detained with their parent and a 1-year-old. It was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona and can be found here.