The Flow of Unaccompanied Children Through the Immigration System

Abstract

Every year, thousands of unaccompanied children come into contact with the U.S. Immigration system, a daunting web of laws and policies involving numerous government agencies. Since 2005, Vera’s Center on Immigration and Justice has administered a federally funded program to improve access to legal services for these children. This report draws on knowledge gained through administering this program, as well as data from the Office of Refugee Resettlement, to document the path unaccompanied children follow through this system.