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Each year, thousands of unaccompanied children arrive to the United States, having fled extreme violence, sexual abuse, human trafficking, and other dangers in their countries of origin. Many of these children come from countries across Central America, and increasingly, from throughout the Western Hemisphere, as global displacement has reached historic levels due to war, political unrest, natural disasters, and other threats in many parts of the world. Unable to find safety in their countries of origin, children are often forced to undertake dangerous journeys, and once in the United States, face complex immigration proceedings. These children, many of whom have experienced severe trauma, confront numerous obstacles after arrival, including limited resources, language barriers, and the need to navigate the complex U.S. immigration system, often on their own.
Recognizing the unique vulnerability of unaccompanied children, Congress created fundamental procedural protections designed to help these children fairly access protection and navigate immigration proceedings to prevent their return to harm or exploitation. These safeguards, enacted on a broad bipartisan basis through the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA), build upon foundational child welfare safeguards for all children in federal immigration custody that are embodied within the Flores Settlement Agreement, signed by the federal government in 1997.
