Unaccompanied Migrant Children in US Government Custody: 2014–2023-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

Unaccompanied Migrant Children in US Government Custody: 2014–2023

Published:2024-05-13 Issue: Volume: Page:
ISSN:0197-9183
Container-title:International Migration Review
language:en
Short-container-title:International Migration Review

Author:

Alcaraz Melissa¹^ORCID,Pierce Hayley¹,López Jane Lilly¹^ORCID,Augustine-Adams Kif

Affiliation:

1. Brigham Young University, Utah

Abstract

Between October 1, 2014, and March 1, 2023, the US Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) took custody of 568,890 unaccompanied migrant children. Drawing on a unique dataset that ORR produced in response to Freedom of Information Act requests and litigation, we provide the first comprehensive, long-term demographic study of the population of unaccompanied migrant children while in ORR custody. Our analysis reveals the children's differential treatment and experiences across time and demographic characteristics. We contextualize ORR's treatment of the children in its custody by identifying legal standards governing their care. We also examine how specific instances of legal, political, and social change in the United States correlate with fluctuations in the origin-based demographics of unaccompanied migrant children seeking refuge in the United States. Results highlight the differential treatment and intense uncertainty that unaccompanied migrant children face in the United States based on their age, gender, country and region of origin, ORR program placements, and discharge types.

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Link

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/01979183241252034

Reference102 articles.

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