Controversial group wins $158M-contract to represent unaccompanied immigrant children

Children wait outside of an immigration court at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building on July 31, 2026 in New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images North America hide caption toggle caption Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images North America The Trump administration has awarded a controversial anti-human trafficking organization a no-bid $158 million contract to provide legal services to unaccompanied migrant children, according to a notice posted Friday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Utah-based Our Rescue, previously known as Operation Underground Railroad, says it helps law enforcement perform sting operations to catch human traffickers and rescue survivors. It's unclear if it has immigration lawyers on its staff, although its website says it offers "legal support to help prosecute offenders." Our Rescue did not immediately return NPR's request for comment. The group was founded by activist Tim Ballard, who was the subject of the 2023 film Sound of Freedom. The movie starring Jim Caviezel was heavily promoted in conservative media as QAnon conspiracies flourished. Within months of the film's release, however, Ballard faced accusations of sexual exploitation himself. He has repeatedly denied them, but was quietly removed from the group. It's now headed by CEO Derek Benner, who previously worked for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Tim Ballard attends the premiere of "Sound of Freedom" on June 28, 2023 in Vineyard, Utah. Fred Hayes/Getty Images for Angel Studios hide caption toggle caption Fred Hayes/Getty Images for Angel Studios In a statement to NPR, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) said the contract will run for six months, from Aug. 7 to February 6, 2027. The agency said it is working with other providers besides Our Rescue, including the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. "ORR is committed to ensuring every (unaccompanied immigrant child) has legal representation in immigration court," an ORR spokesperson told NPR Wednesday. Michael Lukens, the executive director of the nonprofit organization Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, on Wednesday blasted HHS's decision to award Our Rescue the contract. His organization provided legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children under the previous contract. "HHS is trying to give a contract to a nonprofit that is highly problematic in their history and has no expertise in providing legal services to unaccompanied children," Lukens told NPR. "This all to me boils down to children are going to be harmed and that seems to be the point of a lot of these actions." There are currently about 24,000 immigrant children in the U.S. who are classified by the federal government as unaccompanied, but only 1,800 are in custody of HHS. The agency defines them as minors who have no lawful immigration status in the U.S. and who have "no parent or legal guardian in the U.S. available to provide care and physical custody." The contract with Our Rescue was granted a week after a contract with a group of nearly 100 legal nonprofits to do similar work expired on July 31. The expiration left attorneys scrambling to figure out how to ensure the minors continued to have legal representation. In a statement to NPR, ORR said it has been using the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) to provide legal representation to all unaccompanied immigrant children in ORR care since Aug. 5. That organization will provide legal services until Dec. 31. But that's not a solution, Lukens said. "HHS is causing chaos in the system, and that may be on purpose," Lukens said. "They let a contract expire. They don't have any long term contract in place. They're trying to do these sort of gap-fillers while also reaching out to unqualified organizations about serving the children." Lukens said Amica Center for Immigrant Rights and other nonprofits continue providing legal representation for their unaccompanied minor clients despite not being p