I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6389 
To amend Public Law 119–21 (commonly known as the ‘‘One Big Beautiful 
Bill Act’’) to repeal or amend certain provisions that undermine protec-
tions and heighten dangers for unaccompanied children, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 3, 2025 
Mr. GOLDMAN of New York (for himself, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. 
CASAR, Mr. GARCIA of California, Ms. JACOBS, Ms. SIMON, Ms. NORTON, 
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. CORREA, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. 
PINGREE, Ms. TITUS, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Ms. CLARKE of New 
York, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. CARSON, Ms. SALINAS, Ms. TOKUDA, 
Ms. LOFGREN, Ms. MENG, Ms. CHU, Mr. QUIGLEY, Ms. ANSARI, Ms. 
ROSS, Mr. LIEU, Ms. MORRISON, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. MCCLELLAN, Mr. 
HUFFMAN, Mrs. TORRES of California, Ms. STANSBURY, Mr. GARCI´A of 
Illinois, and Ms. CROCKETT) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined 
by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend Public Law 119–21 (commonly known as the 
‘‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’’) to repeal or amend certain 
provisions that undermine protections and heighten dan-
gers for unaccompanied children, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Upholding Protections 
for Unaccompanied Children Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Unaccompanied children are among the 
world’s most vulnerable individuals. Without protec-
tion in their countries of origin, they have fled to the 
United States often on their own to escape extreme 
violence, sexual abuse, human trafficking, and other 
dangers. 
(2) In recognition of this vulnerability, Con-
gress has traditionally ensured protections for unac-
companied children on a broad bipartisan basis. 
(3) Congress reaffirmed this bipartisan commit-
ment through passage of the William Wilberforce 
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act 
of 2008 (‘‘TVPRA’’) which passed, among other 
purposes, to ensure that unaccompanied children are 
screened properly to identify signs of trafficking or 
other protection concerns, placed in the least restric-
tive setting that is in the best interest of the child, 
and accorded a full and fair legal process, distin-
guished by child-sensitive procedures, for pursuing 
humanitarian relief. 
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(4) The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public 
Law 119–21) erects barriers to TVPRA protections 
and other longstanding safeguards for unaccom-
panied children, weakening due process and height-
ening these children’s vulnerability to human traf-
ficking, exploitation, and abuse. 
(5) This legislation imposes an unprecedented 
fee structure that limits or outright blocks unaccom-
panied children’s ability to pursue humanitarian pro-
tection in the United States, requiring onerous fees 
from unaccompanied children to seek asylum and 
other legal relief runs contrary to the TVPRA’s 
mandate to govern these children’s applications in 
ways that take into account their specialized needs. 
It also creates opportunities for traffickers and 
abusers skilled in leveraging debt to coerce children 
into sex and labor trafficking and other forms of ex-
ploitation. 
(6) The Trump administration has sought to 
rely upon One Big Beautiful Bill Act provisions that 
provide funding for the removal of unaccompanied 
children to summarily return children throughout 
the Nation to their countries of origin without due 
process. These returns run counter to TVPRA re-
quirements that the Secretary of the Department of 
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Homeland Security place unaccompanied children 
from countries other than Mexico and Canada in Of-
fice of Refugee Resettlement custody, where they re-
ceive screenings for trafficking and other protection 
concerns by legal services providers, and that these 
children are afforded an appropriate legal process 
before an immigration judge. Summarily returned 
children face grave risks of trafficking and other 
harms. 
(7) The American Academy of Pediatrics and 
other leading medical groups have warned that there 
is no evidence that any amount of time in detention 
is safe for children and that detention itself poses a 
threat to child health. 
(8) The One Big Beautiful Bill Act provides 
funding for carrying out potentially physically intru-
sive examinations of unaccompanied children in the 
Department of Homeland Security and Office of 
Refugee Resettlement custody without any guard-
rails to protect against inappropriate application and 
misconduct and despite risks of retraumatizing chil-
dren who may be fleeing abuse or exploitation. 
(9) The One Big Beautiful Bill Act provides 
funding to the Office of Refugee Resettlement that 
will further fuel the Trump administration’s system-
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atic targeting of unaccompanied children’s family 
members for immigration enforcement. After the Ad-
ministration eliminated safeguards that restricted 
the Office of Refugee Resettlement from sharing in-
formation on unaccompanied children’s sponsors 
with the Department of Homeland Security for pur-
poses of immigration enforcement, Immigration and 
Customs Enforcement has taken enforcement ac-
tions against numerous sponsors who lack immigra-
tion status. These actions have split families apart, 
caused children profound trauma, and deterred lov-
ing parents and other family members from coming 
forward to sponsor children in Office of Refugee Re-
settlement custody, depriving children of safe spon-
sorship options and dramatically increasing those 
children’s periods of government detention. 
SEC. 3. FEES. 
(a) ASYLUM FEE.—Section 100002 of Public Law 
119–21 (commonly known as the ‘‘One Big Beautiful Bill 
Act’’) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(f) EXCEPTION.—This section shall not apply in the 
case of any individual who is, or was previously determined 
to be, an unaccompanied alien child, as defined in section 
462(g)(2) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 279(g)(2)).’’. 
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(b) 
EMPLOYMENT
AUTHORIZATION
DOCUMENT 
FEE.—Section 100003 of Public Law 119–21 (commonly 
known as the ‘‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’’) is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) EXCEPTION.—This section shall not apply in the 
case of any individual who is, or was previously determined 
to be, an unaccompanied alien child, as defined in section 
462(g)(2) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 279(g)(2)).’’. 
(c) SPECIAL IMMIGRANT JUVENILE FEE.— 
(1) REPEAL.—Section 100005 of Public Law 
119–21 (commonly known as the ‘‘One Big Beau-
tiful Bill Act’’) is repealed. 
(2) CLARIFICATION.—The Secretary of Home-
land Security may not impose a fee in connection 
with any alien, parent, or legal guardian of an alien 
applying for special immigrant juvenile status under 
section 101(a)(27)(J) (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(J)). 
(d) ANNUAL ASYLUM FEE.—Section 100009 of Pub-
lic Law 119–21 (commonly known as the ‘‘One Big Beau-
tiful Bill Act’’) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(e) EXCEPTION.—This section shall not apply in the 
case of any individual who is, or was previously determined 
to be, an unaccompanied alien child, as defined in section 
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462(g)(2) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 279(g)(2)).’’. 
(e) 
EMPLOYMENT
AUTHORIZATION
RENEWAL 
FEES.— 
(1) EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION FOR PAROL-
EES.—Section 100010 of Public Law 119–21 (com-
monly known as the ‘‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’’) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) EXCEPTION.—This section shall not apply in the 
case of any individual who is, or was previously determined 
to be, an unaccompanied alien child, as defined in section 
462(g)(2) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 279(g)(2)).’’. 
(2) EMPLOYMENT
AUTHORIZATION
FOR
ASY-
LUM APPLICANTS.—Section 100011 of Public Law 
119–21 (commonly known as the ‘‘One Big Beau-
tiful Bill Act’’) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(e) EXCEPTION.—This section shall not apply in the 
case of any individual who is, or was previously determined 
to be, an unaccompanied alien child, as defined in section 
462(g)(2) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 279(g)(2)).’’. 
(3) EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION FOR ALIENS 
GRANTED
TEMPORARY
PROTECTED
STATUS.—Sec-
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tion 100012 of Public Law 119–21 (commonly 
known as the ‘‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’’) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) EXCEPTION.—This section shall not apply in the 
case of any individual who is, or was previously determined 
to be, an unaccompanied alien child, as defined in section 
462(g)(2) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 279(g)(2)).’’. 
(f) IMMIGRATION COURT FEES.—Section 100013 of 
Public Law 119–21 (commonly known as the ‘‘One Big 
Beautiful Bill Act’’) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(l) EXCEPTION.—This section shall not apply in the 
case of any individual who is, or was previously determined 
to be, an unaccompanied alien child, as defined in section 
462(g)(2) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 279(g)(2)).’’. 
(g) 
IN
ABSENTIA
REMOVAL
FEE.—Section 
100016(c) of Public Law 119–21 (commonly known as the 
‘‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’’) is amended by inserting 
before the period at the end the following: ‘‘, or in the 
case of any individual who is, or was previously determined 
to be, an unaccompanied alien child, as defined in section 
462(g)(2) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 279(g)(2))’’. 
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(h) BORDER APPREHENSION FEE .—Section 100017 
of Public Law 119–21 (commonly known as the ‘‘One Big 
Beautiful Bill Act’’) is amended by inserting at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(e) EXCEPTION.—This section shall not apply in the 
case of any individual who is, or was previously determined 
to be, an unaccompanied alien child, as defined in section 
462(g)(2) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 279(g)(2)).’’. 
SEC. 4. UPHOLDING PROTECTION SCREENINGS AND A FAIR 
LEGAL PROCESS. 
Section 100051(8) of Public Law 119–21 (commonly 
known as the ‘‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’’) is repealed. 
SEC. 5. LIMITATIONS BODY EXAMINATIONS. 
(a) BODY EXAMINATIONS CONDUCTED BY THE DE-
PARTMENT
OF
HOMELAND
SECURITY.—Section 
100051(11) of Public Law 119–21 is repealed. 
(b) BODY EXAMINATIONS CONDUCTED BY THE OF-
FICE
OF
REFUGEE
RESETTLEMENT.—Section 
87001(b)(3) of Public Law 119–21 is repealed. 
SEC. 6. SPONSOR INFORMATION SHARING. 
Section 87001 of Public Law 119–21 (commonly 
known as the ‘‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’’), as amended 
by this Act, is further amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
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‘‘(f) LIMITATION ON INFORMATION SHARING.—The 
Secretary of Health and Human Services shall ensure that 
information obtained under this section is not shared with 
Department of Homeland Security or any other Federal 
agency for the purpose of enforcing the immigration laws 
(as such term is defined in section 101 of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101)).’’. 
SEC. 7. REFUND OF FEES. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security and the 
Attorney General shall refund each fee paid under a provi-
sion of law repealed or amended by this Act to each indi-
vidual who paid such fee. 
Æ 
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