165 
nate cases, and the Board of Immigration Appeals shall 
remand cases for administrative closure, if an individual 
in removal proceedings— 
(1) appears to be prima facie eligible for a visa 
or any other immigration benefit; and 
(2) has a pending application for such benefit 
before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or 
any other applicable Federal agency. 
(f) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this section. 
TITLE 
VI—OVERSIGHT, 
MONI-
TORING, AND ENFORCEMENT 
SEC. 601. OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSPERSON FOR UNACCOM-
PANIED NONCITIZEN CHILDREN IN IMMIGRA-
TION CUSTODY. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 
the Department of Health and Human Services an Office 
of the Ombudsperson for Unaccompanied Noncitizen Chil-
dren (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Office’’) to mon-
itor and oversee compliance with this Act and the amend-
ments made by this Act. 
(b) INDEPENDENCE.—The Office shall be an impar-
tial, confidential resource that is fully independent of— 
(1) the Office of Refugee Resettlement; and 
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(2) the Department of Homeland Security. 
(c) OMBUDSPERSON.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Office shall be headed 
by an Ombudsperson, who shall be appointed by, 
and report directly to, the Secretary. 
(2) 
RECOMMENDATIONS
FROM
STAKE-
HOLDERS.—Before making an appointment under 
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall solicit and con-
sider candidate recommendations from community 
stakeholders, including from organizations that pro-
vide legal services to and advocacy on behalf of im-
migrant children. 
(3) LIMITATION ON CERTAIN FORMER EMPLOY-
EES.—The 
Secretary 
may 
not 
appoint 
as 
Ombudsperson any individual who, during the 2-year 
period preceding the date of appointment, was an 
employee of the Office of Refugee Resettlement or 
the Department of Homeland Security. 
(4) TERM.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (C), the term of an Ombudsperson ap-
pointed under this subsection shall be not more 
than 4 years. 
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(B) 
CONSECUTIVE
TERMS.—An 
Ombudsperson may be appointed for consecu-
tive terms. 
(C) 
EXPIRATION.—The 
term 
of 
an 
Ombudsperson shall not expire before the date 
on which the Ombudsperson’s successor is ap-
pointed. 
(5) REMOVAL FOR CAUSE.—The Secretary may 
only remove or suspend an Ombudsperson for ne-
glect of duty or gross misconduct. 
(6) DUTIES AND AUTHORITIES.— 
(A) REGIONAL OFFICES.— 
(i) 
ESTABLISHMENT.—The 
Ombudsperson shall establish not fewer 
than 7 regional offices of the Office— 
(I) to strengthen State oversight; 
(II) to investigate complaints; 
(III) to coordinate with State li-
censing entities; and 
(IV) to identify and address dif-
ferences among State child protection 
laws. 
(ii) LOCATIONS.— 
(I) IN
GENERAL.—The regional 
offices required under clause (i) shall 
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be established in the following loca-
tions: 
(aa) 1 regional office in 
Texas. 
(bb) 1 regional office in Ari-
zona. 
(cc) 1 regional office in Cali-
fornia or a State in the North-
west. 
(dd) 1 regional office in a 
State in the Midwest. 
(ee) 1 regional office in a 
State in the Mid-Atlantic. 
(ff) 1 regional office in a 
State in the Northeast. 
(gg) 1 regional office in a 
State in the Southeast. 
(II) ADDITIONAL
LOCATIONS.— 
The Ombudsperson may make a rec-
ommendation to the Secretary with 
respect to the location of any addi-
tional regional office. 
(iii) APPOINTMENT
OF
DEPUTIES.— 
The Ombudsperson shall appoint a full- 
time deputy for each regional office, who 
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shall serve at the Ombudsperson’s discre-
tion. 
(iv) APPLICABILITY OF OTHER PROVI-
SIONS.—The regional offices established 
under this subparagraph shall have the 
same access to facilities and records, main-
tain the same rights, roles, and responsibil-
ities, and be subject to the same confiden-
tiality requirements as the Office. 
(B) HIRING.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—The Ombudsperson 
shall hire to carry out the functions of the 
Office necessary personnel, including cler-
ical personnel, who shall serve at the dis-
cretion of the Ombudsperson. 
(ii) SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS.—The 
personnel hired under clause (i) shall in-
clude relevant subject matter experts, in-
cluding— 
(I) attorneys with expertise in 
child welfare and immigration law; 
(II) pediatricians; 
(III) child and adolescent psychi-
atrists and psychologists; 
(IV) social workers; 
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(V) data analysts with demon-
strable expertise in child welfare or 
immigration; and 
(VI) youth or young adults with 
experience as noncitizen children in 
immigration custody. 
(C) MONITORING.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—The Ombudsperson 
shall monitor, including by making site vis-
its, for compliance with all applicable law 
and standards relating to noncitizen chil-
dren in immigration custody. 
(ii) 
INFLUX
FACILITIES.—The 
Ombudsperson shall conduct site visits of 
influx facilities, as described in section 
306. 
(D) INVESTIGATIONS.— 
(i) 
IN
GENERAL.—The 
Ombudsperson— 
(I) may conduct any investigation 
relating to noncitizen children in im-
migration custody the Ombudsperson 
considers necessary; and 
(II) shall investigate— 
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