Unaccompanied Alien Children Program
(UAC Program)
Department of Health and Human ServicesUnaccompanied migrant children in federal custody
What This Program Does
The Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) Program provides shelter, food, medical care, legal services, and case management for migrant children who arrive at the U.S. border without a parent or legal guardian. Operated by the Office of Refugee Resettlement within the Department of Health and Human Services, the program cares for children while arranging their release to vetted sponsors, typically family members already in the United States. The program has operated in its current form since 2003.
Who Would Be Affected
The program serves unaccompanied migrant children held in federal custody, numbering tens of thousands per year in recent years. A $0.8 billion reduction — roughly 50% of the program's budget — would directly affect the network of shelters, foster care providers, and social service organizations contracted to house and care for these children. Legal aid providers and case managers who help ensure children's safety and connect them with sponsors would also face significant funding losses.
What This Cut Would Mean
The administration argues that stricter border security measures are reducing the number of unaccompanied children arriving, making current shelter capacity unnecessary. With a 50% budget cut, the program would likely close numerous shelter facilities and reduce staffing for case management, legal services, and mental health support. Child welfare experts and independent analysts have raised concerns that if arrivals do not decline as projected, remaining facilities could become overcrowded, processing delays could lengthen children's time in custody, and legal protections required under federal law and court settlements — including the Flores Agreement governing the treatment of minors — could be difficult to maintain.
Administration's Stated Rationale
“Border security measures reduce UAC arrivals; facility capacity reduced accordingly.”