HHS Plans $150 Million Contract With Texas Firm For Migrant Children
On Thursday, August 6, 2026, the Department of Health and Human Services plans to post a Federal Register notice to award a $150 million contract to Burke Law Group to represent unaccompanied migrant children.[1]
Burke Law Group is a small Texas firm with 24 attorneys, of whom only two specialize in immigration and asylum.[1] The firm's main advertised focus is environmental and regulatory matters, and one co-founder, Marcella Burke, served in President Trump's first administration.[1] Founding partner Jeffrey Hall now serves as an EPA assistant administrator and has drawn past Senate criticism for his environmental work.[1]
A prior umbrella contract with nearly 100 nonprofits providing similar services expired Friday, July 31, 2026.[1] The Trump administration stopped paying the groups in November 2025 amid a dispute over turning over confidential client data, and the groups say they are owed $65 million and have an active lawsuit.[1]
The planned award would shift responsibility for representing unaccompanied children away from the nearly 100 nonprofit groups whose umbrella contract expired July 31, 2026.[1]
Show source details & analysis (1 source)
📌 Key Facts
- On Thursday, August 6, 2026, HHS is slated to post a Federal Register notice announcing plans to award a $150 million contract to Burke Law Group for representing unaccompanied migrant children.
- Burke Law Group has 24 attorneys, of whom only two specialize in immigration and asylum, and the firm’s main advertised focus is environmental and regulatory matters.
- The prior umbrella contract with nearly 100 nonprofits providing similar services expired Friday, July 31, 2026, after the Trump administration stopped paying them in November 2025 amid a dispute over turning over confidential client data; the groups allege they are owed $65 million and have an active lawsuit.
- Co-founder Marcella Burke served in Trump’s first administration at the Interior Department and EPA, and founding partner Jeffrey Hall, now an EPA assistant administrator, has drawn past Senate criticism for his environmental work.
📰 Source Timeline (1)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time