March 25, 2026
KIND’s “Timeline Tracking How the Second Trump Administration Is Rolling Back Protections for Unaccompanied Children,” documents recent and emerging administrative changes that undermine children’s safety and well-being. This Spotlight examines the impacts of specific changes adopted by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) that effectively compel indefinite government detention of unaccompanied children, with an emphasis on the ways these policies are degrading children’s mental health, compounding trauma, and, in tandem with changes introduced by other agencies, hampering due process.
Related Resources
Learn about the sweeping policy changes eroding child welfare and anti-trafficking safeguards for children seeking safety in the United States.
Learn about one of the significant ramifications of these policy changes is that unaccompanied children are having a harder time navigating immigration court and pursuing claims for legal relief.
Learn more about the unlawful removals of unaccompanied children, detailing how rushed deportations and coercive practices undermine child protection laws.
