The US government is spending $9 million on lawyers for unaccompanied immigrant children in deportation proceedings, the first time money has been provided for direct legal representation. The funds are coming from the Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families, which oversees the placement of  these children in shelters until they can be released to a relative or sponsor in the United States.  Around 60,000 children are arriving at the US Mexican border annually, most with no lawyers. The funding is expected to pay lawyers for more than 2600 children. The move has been described as illegal by Republicans who claim it will boost illegal immigration. Source: The Big Story