I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8020 

To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to publish data 

on the Unaccompanied Children Program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 16, 2024 

Ms. ESHOO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services 

to publish data on the Unaccompanied Children Program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Transparency for Un5 accompanied Children Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ONLINE PUBLICATION OF DATA ON THE UNACCOM7 PANIED CHILDREN PROGRAM. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 

9 date of enactment of this Act, and monthly thereafter, the 

10 Secretary of Health and Human Services shall publish, on 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•HR 8020 IH

1 a publicly accessible webpage of the Department of Health 

2 and Human Services, data on the Unaccompanied Chil3 dren Program. 

4 (b) REQUIRED DATA.—The data published pursuant 

5 to subsection (a) shall include the following: 

6 (1) The total number of unaccompanied alien 

7 children transferred to the Office of Refugee Reset8 tlement (ORR) during the previous month. 

9 (2) The total number of unaccompanied alien 

10 children discharged by ORR into the custody of 

11 sponsors during the previous month, disaggregated 

12 by the number of such children discharged to a 

13 sponsor who is— 

14 (A) a parent or legal guardian of the dis15 charged child; 

16 (B) a brother, sister, or grandparent of the 

17 discharged child, or an aunt, uncle, or first 

18 cousin of the discharged child who previously 

19 served as the child’s primary caregiver; 

20 (C) an aunt, uncle, or first cousin of the 

21 discharged child who was not previously the 

22 child’s primary caregiver; or 

23 (D) a distant relative of the discharged 

24 child or not related to the discharged child. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•HR 8020 IH

1 (3) The total number of unaccompanied alien 

2 children who were discharged by ORR into the cus3 tody of sponsors during the previous month, and 

4 who meet the requirements for a mandatory home 

5 study under section 235(c)(3)(B) of the William 

6 Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reau7 thorization Act of 2008 (8 U.S.C. 1232(c)(3)(B)), 

8 disaggregated by the number of such children dis9 charged to a sponsor who is— 

10 (A) a parent or legal guardian of the dis11 charged child; 

12 (B) a brother, sister, or grandparent of the 

13 discharged child, or an aunt, uncle, or first 

14 cousin of the discharged child who previously 

15 served as the child’s primary caregiver; 

16 (C) an aunt, uncle, or first cousin of the 

17 discharged child who was not previously the 

18 child’s primary caregiver; or 

19 (D) a distant relative of the discharged 

20 child or not related to the discharged child. 

21 (4) The average length of time spent in ORR 

22 custody by unaccompanied alien children who were 

23 discharged from ORR custody during the previous 

24 month. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•HR 8020 IH

1 (5) The total number of home studies con2 ducted by ORR (or by an ORR grantee or con3 tractor) to assess whether potential sponsors are 

4 able and willing to care for an unaccompanied alien 

5 child, disaggregated by the number of such home 

6 studies that are— 

7 (A) mandatory under current law or exist8 ing ORR policies; or 

9 (B) discretionary under current law and 

10 existing ORR policies. 

11 (6) The total number of sponsorship applica12 tions that were pending with ORR at any point dur13 ing the previous month, disaggregated by the num14 ber of such applications that— 

15 (A) were approved during the previous 

16 month; 

17 (B) were denied during the previous 

18 month; or 

19 (C) remained pending as of the end of the 

20 previous month. 

21 (7) The total number of sponsorship applica22 tions that were pending with ORR at any point dur23 ing the previous month and submitted by any indi24 vidual seeking to become the sponsor of an unaccom25 panied alien child who meets the requirements for a 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•HR 8020 IH

1 mandatory home study under section 1232(c)(3)(B) 

2 of title 8, United States Code, disaggregated by the 

3 number of such applications that— 

4 (A) were approved during the previous 

5 month; 

6 (B) were denied during the previous 

7 month; or 

8 (C) remained pending as of the end of the 

9 previous month. 

10 (8) The total number of calls received by the 

11 ORR National Call Center during the previous 

12 month reporting instances of trafficking, neglect, or 

13 abuse of children discharged into the custody of 

14 sponsors by ORR. 

15 (9) The total number of follow-up calls to dis16 charged children and their sponsors conducted by 

17 ORR (or by an ORR grantee or contractor) during 

18 the previous month, disaggregated by the number of 

19 such calls conducted— 

20 (A) in accordance with the timeframe re21 quired by ORR policy; or 

22 (B) later than required by ORR policy. 

23 (10) The total number of unaccompanied alien 

24 children discharged from ORR custody who have re25 ceived post-release services furnished by ORR during 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
6 

•HR 8020 IH

1 the previous month, disaggregated by the number of 

2 such children who have received— 

3 (A) one or more virtual check-ins; 

4 (B) case management services; or 

5 (C) intensive in-home services and engage6 ment. 

7 (11) The total number of unaccompanied alien 

8 children discharged from ORR custody who have re9 ceived full legal representation furnished by ORR 

10 during the previous month. 

11 (c) NOTIFICATION OF CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT12 TEES.—Upon publishing new monthly data pursuant to 

13 subsection (a), the Secretary of Health and Human Serv14 ices shall notify the Chair and ranking member of— 

15 (1) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of 

16 the House of Representatives; 

17 (2) the Committee on Health, Education, 

18 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; 

19 (3) the Committee on Oversight and Account20 ability of the House of Representatives; and 

21 (4) the Committee on Homeland Security and 

22 Governmental Affairs of the Senate. 

23 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
7 

•HR 8020 IH

1 (1) The term ‘‘ORR’’ means the Office of Ref2 ugee Resettlement of the Department of Health and 

3 Human Services. 

4 (2) The term ‘‘sponsor’’ means an individual 

5 who has been selected by the Department of Health 

6 and Human Services to be the custodian of an unac7 companied alien child under section 235(c)(3) of the 

8 William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection 

9 Reauthorization Act of 2008 (8 U.S.C. 1232(c)(3)). 

10 (3) The term ‘‘sponsorship application’’ means 

11 the application submitted to ORR by an individual 

12 seeking to become the custodian of an unaccom13 panied alien child. 

14 (4) The term ‘‘unaccompanied alien child’’ has 

15 the meaning given to such term in section 462(g)(2) 

16 of the Homeland Secretary Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 

17 279(g)(2)). 

18 (5) The term ‘‘Unaccompanied Children Pro19 gram’’ means the program of ORR for the care and 

20 custody of unaccompanied alien children under sec21 tion 235(b) of the William Wilberforce Trafficking 

22 Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (8 

23 U.S.C. 1232(b)). 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB