BOSTON — While Massachusetts families grapple with backlogged courts, migrant shelter crises, and skyrocketing costs, Attorney General Andrea Campbell has found her latest cause — and it’s 3,000 miles away.

This week, Campbell joined 19 other Democratic attorneys general in backing a California lawsuit aimed at restoring federal funding for free lawyers for unaccompanied migrant children.

The case, now before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, challenges a Trump administration decision to terminate funding for legal services provided to minors crossing the border alone. The coalition wants a previous court ruling that blocked the Trump policy to remain in place — and they’re making their case in a federal court hundreds of miles from the Bay State.

In 2024 alone, 2,370 unaccompanied minors were released into Massachusetts, according to federal data cited in the brief.

The AGs argue that providing legal representation for migrant children is critical to connecting them with social services and shielding them from abuse or exploitation. Campbell’s office says these minors are already part of the local community and deserve access to attorneys to navigate immigration law, child welfare hearings, and school services.

But critics question the priorities. At a time when Massachusetts courts are strained and residents struggle to get basic legal assistance, Campbell is committing state resources to fight a multi-state battle over federal benefits for non-citizens — in a circuit court that doesn’t even cover Massachusetts.

The legal filing, called an amicus brief, doesn’t make Campbell a party to the case — but it signals where her administration is willing to throw its weight.

Also joining the brief: Democratic attorneys general from California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan, Vermont, Oregon, and more. Not a single Republican signed on.

The case is part of a broader political clash over how much taxpayer support should be given to unaccompanied migrant children — a question increasingly at the center of state-level spending debates as more minors are released into cities and towns across the country.

So far, no state officials have announced legal action to ensure struggling Massachusetts residents get equal access to free legal representation.