I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2644 
To reduce the amount of foreign assistance to El Salvador, Guatemala, 
and Honduras based on the number of unaccompanied alien children 
who are nationals or citizens of such countries and who in the preceding 
fiscal year are placed in Federal custody by reason of their immigration 
status. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 17, 2023 
Mr. BURGESS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To reduce the amount of foreign assistance to El Salvador, 
Guatemala, and Honduras based on the number of unac-
companied alien children who are nationals or citizens 
of such countries and who in the preceding fiscal year 
are placed in Federal custody by reason of their immigra-
tion status. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Unaccompanied Alien 
Children Assistance Control Act’’. 
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(4) Systemic corruption in El Salvador, Guate-
mala, and Honduras undermines efforts to address 
the driving causes of illegal immigration into the 
United States from such countries. 
(5) The United States provided more than 
$3,046,484,297 of foreign assistance for Central 
American countries during fiscal years 2018 through 
2021. 
(6) For the past 5 fiscal years, the Department 
of Homeland Security has referred to the Office of 
Refugee Resettlement (ORR) 40,810 unaccompanied 
children in fiscal year 2017, 69,488 in fiscal year 
2019, 15,381 in fiscal year 2020, 122,731 in fiscal 
year 2021, and 128,904 in fiscal year 2022. 
(7) In fiscal year 2022, approximately 72 per-
cent of all children referred were over 14 years of 
age, and 64 percent were boys. In fiscal year 2022, 
countries of origin of youth in this program were ap-
proximately as follows: Guatemala (47 percent); 
Honduras (29 percent); El Salvador (13 percent); 
and other (11 percent). 
(8) On average, providing care for unaccom-
panied alien children in ORR custody costs $500 per 
child, per day. 
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(9) In fiscal year 2022 the average length of 
stay in ORR custody for an unaccompanied alien 
child was 30 days. 
(10) On average, the total cost of care for an 
unaccompanied alien child in ORR custody in fiscal 
year 
2022 
was 
$15,000 
per 
child 
and 
$1,933,560,000 for all children. 
(11) According to the Department of State, the 
United States is the largest single donor of humani-
tarian aid in Central America and Mexico and to 
asylum seekers, refugees, and vulnerable migrants in 
the region. 
SEC. 3. REDUCTION OF AMOUNT OF FOREIGN ASSISTANCE 
TO EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, AND HON-
DURAS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall reduce from 
amounts made available under the Foreign Assistance Act 
of 1961 or any other Act and allocated for a covered coun-
try for a fiscal year an amount equal to— 
(1) the number of unaccompanied alien children 
who— 
(A) are nationals or citizens of the covered 
country; and 
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(B) in the preceding fiscal year are placed 
in Federal custody by reason of their immigra-
tion status; multiplied by 
(2) $15,000. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘covered country’’ means El Sal-
vador, Guatemala, or Honduras; and 
(2) the term ‘‘unaccompanied alien child’’ has 
the meaning given the term in section 462(g)(2) of 
the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 
279(g)(2)). 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This Act shall take effect on 
the date of the enactment of this Act and shall apply with 
respect to amounts made available under the Foreign As-
sistance Act of 1961 or any other Act for fiscal year 2024 
and each subsequent fiscal year. 
Æ 
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