CRS Insights
Unaccompanied Alien Children: A Processing Flow Chart
Lisa Seghetti, Section Research Manager (lseghetti@crs.loc.gov, 7-4669)
July 16, 2014 (IN10107)
Within the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services, several agencies are
involved in apprehending, processing, placing, and repatriating unaccompanied alien children (UAC).
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) apprehends, processes, and detains the majority of UAC arrested
along U.S. borders. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) physically transports UAC from CBP to
the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) custody. ORR is
responsible for detaining and sheltering UAC who are from non-contiguous countries and those from
contiguous countries (i.e., Canada and Mexico) for whom there is a concern that they may be victims
of trafficking or have an asylum claim, or who do not desire to return to their country voluntarily, while
they wait for their claim to be processed or for an immigration hearing. U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) is responsible for the initial adjudication of asylum applications and
processes trafficking petitions filed by UAC. The Executive Office for Immigration Review (i.e.,
immigration courts) in the U.S. Department of Justice conducts the immigration proceedings that
determine whether the UAC is allowed to remain in the United States or is deported to his or her home
country. If a UAC is ordered removed or chooses to voluntarily depart from the United States, ICE is
responsible for returning the alien to his/her home country. For an overview on this topic, see CRS
Report R43599, Unaccompanied Alien Children: An Overview.
Figure 1.Unaccompanied Alien Children
A Processing Flow Chart
Acronyms used in the flow chart:
CBP—Customs and Border Protection
DHS—Department of Homeland Security
DOJ—Department of Justice
EOIR—Executive Office for Immigration Review
HHS—Department of Health and Human Services
ICE—Immigration and Customs Enforcement
ORR—Office of Refugee Resettlement
SIJ—Special Immigrant Visa
TVPRA 2008—Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-457)
UAC—Unaccompanied Alien Children
USCIS—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services