Rep. Eshoo Introduces Bill to Enhance Transparency of Unaccompanied Children Program

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representative Anna G. Eshoo (CA-16), Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, introduced the Transparency for Unaccompanied Children Act, legislation to establish timely, public, and comprehensive reporting requirements for the Office of Refugee Resettlement's (ORR) Unaccompanied Children Program.

"ORR is entrusted with the care of tens of thousands of children each year. Given the disturbing rise in child labor exploitation, Congress has a responsibility to conduct effective oversight of this critical agency," said Rep. Eshoo. "By mandating greater transparency, my legislation empowers Congress and civil society to play a more active role in monitoring and shaping ORR's processes for the benefit of children."

The Transparency for Unaccompanied Children Act requires ORR to issue publicly accessible reports each month about the Unaccompanied Children Program. The reports must contain the following information:

• The number of unaccompanied children (UCs) transferred to and discharged by ORR;
• The average amount of time UCs spend in ORR custody;
• The approval rates for applications to sponsor UCs;
• The number of home studies conducted as part of ORR's sponsor vetting process;
• The relationship of sponsors to the children placed in their care;
• The frequency of reported trafficking, neglect, and abuse of discharged children;
• The timeliness of ORR follow-up calls to discharged children; and
• The availability of post-release social and legal services provided by ORR.

In May 2023, following the New York Times' groundbreaking reporting on child labor exploitation, Rep. Eshoo led 25 Democratic colleagues in writing to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to inquire about HHS' efforts to protect children from exploitation and abuse. A PDF of the letter can be found HERE.

In July 2023, Rep. Eshoo questioned Secretary Becerra about this issue during an Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the Unaccompanied Children Program. A video of Rep. Eshoo's exchange with Secretary Becerra can be found HERE.

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