Trump administration awards $158 million migrant child legal-services contract to controversial anti-trafficking group
The Trump administration has given a $158 million no-bid contract to Our Rescue, a Utah-based anti-human trafficking group, to provide legal services for unaccompanied migrant children. The award was posted Friday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The deal puts a little-known but politically charged organization at the center of a sensitive federal role. Unaccompanied children in U.S. custody often need help navigating immigration court and other legal steps, and the contract hands that work to a group better known for sting operations than courtroom advocacy.
A group with a loaded history
Our Rescue, formerly called Operation Underground Railroad, says it helps law enforcement catch traffickers and rescue survivors. Its website says it offers “legal support to help prosecute offenders,” but it is unclear whether the group has immigration lawyers on staff.
The organization did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment.
The group was founded by activist Tim Ballard, who became widely known after the 2023 film Sound of Freedom, starring Jim Caviezel, was heavily promoted in conservative media as QAnon conspiracies spread. Months after the film’s release, Ballard faced accusations of sexual exploitation. He has denied the claims and was quietly removed from the organization. Our Rescue is now led by CEO Derek Benner, who previously worked for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Questions over expertise
The contract’s size — $158 million — and the absence of a competitive bidding process are likely to draw scrutiny. Legal aid for migrant children has long been a flashpoint in U.S. immigration politics, especially when federal agencies outsource that work to groups with little public track record in immigration law.
In a statement to NPR, the Office of Refugee Resettlement was expected to address the award, but the available reports do not include the full response. What is clear is the scale of the assignment: a major federal contract, handed to a controversial group, to represent some of the most vulnerable children in the immigration system.
