SEC. 2. ENHANCED PROTECTIONS FOR VULNERABLE UNAC-
COMPANIED ALIEN CHILDREN AND FEMALE 
DETAINEES. 
(a) MANDATORY
TRAINING.—The Secretary of 
Homeland Security, in consultation with the Office of Ref-
ugee Resettlement of the Department of Health and 
Human Services and independent child welfare experts, 
shall mandate live training of all personnel who come into 
contact with unaccompanied alien children (as defined in 
section 462 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 279)) in all relevant legal authorities, policies, and 
procedures pertaining to this vulnerable population. 
(b) CARE AND TRANSPORTATION.—Notwithstanding 
any other provision of law, the Secretary of Homeland Se-
curity shall ensure that all unaccompanied children who 
will undergo any immigration proceedings before the De-
partment of Homeland Security and the Executive Office 
for Immigration Review are duly transported and placed 
in the care and legal and physical custody of the Office 
of Refugee Resettlement within a maximum of 72 hours 
of their apprehension absent narrowly defined exceptional 
circumstances, including a natural disaster or comparable 
emergency beyond the control of the Secretary of Home-
land Security or the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The 
Secretary of Homeland Security shall ensure that female 
officers are responsible and at all times present during the 
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transfer and transport of female detainees who are in the 
custody of the Secretary of Homeland Security. 
(c) QUALIFIED RESOURCES.—For purposes of this 
section, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall provide 
adequately trained and qualified staff resources at each 
major port of entry (as defined by the U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection station assigned to that port having in 
its custody over the past two fiscal years an average per 
year of 50 or more unaccompanied alien children (as de-
fined in section 462 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 
(6 U.S.C. 279))), including U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection agents charged primarily with the safe, swift, 
and humane transportation of unaccompanied alien chil-
dren to Office of Refugee Resettlement custody and inde-
pendent licensed social workers dedicated to ensuring the 
proper temporary care for the children while in Depart-
ment of Homeland Security custody prior to their transfer 
to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, who will ensure 
that each child— 
(1) receives emergency medical care; 
(2) receives mental health care in case of trau-
ma and has access to psychosocial health services; 
(3) is provided with a pillow, linens, and suffi-
cient blankets to rest at a comfortable temperature, 
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a bed, and a mattress placed in an area specifically 
designated for residential use; 
(4) receives adequate nutrition; 
(5) enjoys a safe and sanitary living environ-
ment; 
(6) receives educational materials; and 
(7) has access to at least three hours per day 
of indoor and outdoor recreational programs and ac-
tivities. 
(d) NOTIFICATION.—The Secretary of Homeland Se-
curity shall immediately notify the Office of Refugee Re-
settlement of an unaccompanied alien child in the custody 
of the Department of Homeland Security to effectively and 
efficiently coordinate the child’s transfer to and placement 
with the Office of Refugee Resettlement. 
(e) NOTICE OF RIGHTS AND ACCESS TO COUNSEL.— 
The Secretary of Homeland Security shall ensure that an 
independent licensed social worker, as described in sub-
section (c), provides all unaccompanied alien children upon 
apprehension with both a video orientation and oral and 
written notice of their rights under the Immigration and 
Nationality Act including their rights to relief from re-
moval and their rights to confer with counsel (as guaran-
teed under section 292 of such Act), family, or friends 
while in the Department of Homeland Security’s tem-
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porary custody and relevant complaint mechanisms to re-
port any abuse or misconduct they may have experienced. 
The Secretary of Homeland Security shall ensure that the 
video orientation and written notice of rights is available 
in English and in the five most common native languages 
spoken by the unaccompanied children held in custody at 
that location during the preceding fiscal year, and that 
the oral notice of rights is available in English and in the 
most common native language spoken by the unaccom-
panied children held in custody at that location during the 
preceding fiscal year. 
(f) CONFIDENTIALITY.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services shall maintain the privacy and confiden-
tiality of all information gathered in the course of pro-
viding care, custody, placement and follow-up services to 
unaccompanied alien children, consistent with the best in-
terest of the unaccompanied alien child, by not disclosing 
such information to other government agencies or non-
parental third parties. The Secretary may share informa-
tion when authorized to do so by the child and when con-
sistent with the child’s best interest. The Secretary may 
provide information to a duly recognized law enforcement 
entity, if such disclosure would prevent imminent and seri-
ous harm to another individual. All disclosures shall be 
duly recorded in writing and placed in the child’s files. 
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(g) OTHER POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.—The Sec-
retary shall further adopt fundamental child protection 
policies and procedures— 
(1) for reliable age determinations of children 
which exclude the use of fallible forensic testing of 
children’s bone and teeth developed in consultation 
with medical and child welfare experts; 
(2) to ensure the safe and secure repatriation 
and reintegration of unaccompanied alien children to 
their home countries through specialized programs 
developed in close consultation with the Secretary of 
State, the Office of the Refugee Resettlement and 
reputable independent child welfare experts includ-
ing placement of children with their families or non-
governmental agencies to provide food, shelter and 
vocational training and microfinance opportunities; 
(3) to utilize all legal authorities to defer the 
child’s removal if the child faces a risk of life-threat-
ening harm upon return including due to the child’s 
mental health or medical condition; and 
(4) to ensure that unaccompanied alien children 
(as defined in section 462 of the Homeland Security 
Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 279)) are physically sepa-
rated from any adult who is not an immediate fam-
ily member and are separated by sight and sound 
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from immigration detainees and inmates with crimi-
nal convictions, pretrial inmates facing criminal 
prosecution, children who have been adjudicated 
delinquents or convicted of adult offenses or are 
pending delinquency or criminal proceedings, and 
those inmates exhibiting violent behavior while in de-
tention as is consistent with the Juvenile Justice 
and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 
5601 et seq.). 
Æ 
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