U.S. Policy and Law

Laws and policies shape whether children can access safety, legal representation, education and opportunities to thrive. KIND works to advance U.S. federal and state laws, policies, and practices that protect the rights of unaccompanied and separated children and strengthen the systems designed to support them.

Key Policy and Legal Issues

Every day, KIND works directly with unaccompanied and separated children navigating the U.S. immigration system. This firsthand experience informs our policy and advocacy efforts, helping us identify barriers to safety, elevate children’s perspectives, and advance solutions that improve protection, due process, and long-term stability.

Legal Representation

Unaccompanied children are not guaranteed a government-funded attorney in immigration court. KIND works to ensure every child has legal representation so they can understand their rights, navigate the legal process, and seek safety.

Access for Children at the U.S. Southern Border

KIND supports policies that ensure unaccompanied children at the U.S. southern border are treated humanely and have a fair opportunity to seek asylum or humanitarian protection.

Immigrant Court Proceedings

Courts must adapt to be child-appropriate for the children who appear in them. We push for child-sensitive procedures, trained judges, and adequate time to meet their particular needs.

Office of Refugee Resettlement Custody (ORR)

KIND advocates for safe services and timely release to vetted sponsors, prioritizing children’s safety and well-being over prolonged detention.

Education and Integration

KIND works to advance policies that help children access critical education, prepare for adulthood, and thrive safely in their communities in the United States.

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)

KIND works to strengthen Special Immigrant Juvenile Status protections so children who have endured parental abuse, abandonment, or neglect can seek long-term safety in the United States.

Anti-Trafficking and Exploitation

KIND supports and works to strengthen the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, (TVPRA), and other bipartisan safeguards that protect unaccompanied children from trafficking, exploitation, and mistreatment by helping identify children at risk and connect them to safe care.

Family unity and Reunification

Family separation can cause lasting harm to children’s safety and well-being. KIND works to advance policies that prevent needless separations and help reunite children with parents, caregivers, and loved ones.

Federal legislation affecting unaccompanied and separated children, tracked in real time.

Bills tracked

State win

Federal win

View Policy Tracker

How KIND Advances Change

Our staff brings frontline expertise to every level of the policy process.

Legislative advocacy

Working with Congress and state and local legislatures to advance policies that strengthen protections for unaccompanied and separated children.

Administrative advocacy

Engaging federal and state agencies through direct dialogue, policy recommendations, and regulatory comments.

Litigation and legal strategy

Supporting impact litigation and amicus briefs that help protect children’s rights and access to protection.

Coalition leadership

Partnering with advocacy organizations, legal and social services providers, and community organizations to advance shared policy priorities and systems change.

Public education

Developing resources, research, and educational materials that increase understanding of issues affecting unaccompanied and separated children.

Children’s voices and systems improvement

Through KIND’s Client Experts Project, former KIND clients share their expertise and lived experience to help inform policy solutions that better protect future children navigating the immigration system.

Featured Resources

Explanation

ORR’s Indefinite Detention of Unaccompanied Children Inflicts Trauma and Thwarts Due Process

KIND’s “Timeline Tracking How the Second Trump Administration Is Rolling Back Protections for Unaccompanied Children,” documents recent and emerging administrative changes that undermine childre...

Read ORR’s Indefinite Detention of Unaccompanied Children Inflicts Trauma and Thwarts Due Process

March 25, 2026

Explanation

How the Administration’s Enforcement Policies Are Separating Families and Harming Unaccompanied Children

Read KIND’s new Policy Brief: Since its start nearly a year ago, the second Trump Administration has promulgated dozens of immigration measures that have generated broad fear and distress throug...

Read How the Administration’s Enforcement Policies Are Separating Families and Harming Unaccompanied Children

January 13, 2026

Policy's Real-World Effects

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s” Impacts on Unaccompanied Children

The recently enacted budget reconciliation bill, referred to as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBB), erodes core safeguards for unaccompanied children, placing this already vulnerable populati...

Read The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s” Impacts on Unaccompanied Children

July 17, 2025

Post

Standing with Families: How KIND Helped Shape Washington’s Response to Family Separation

As outlined in a KIND policy brief earlier this year, the Trump Administration’s enforcement efforts increasingly center the fear and devastation of family separation as a strategy to drive de...

Read Standing with Families: How KIND Helped Shape Washington’s Response to Family Separation

July 10, 2026