The Admission of Unaccompanied Children into the United States

Abstract

For most of the twentieth century there have been, at any given time, millions of children endangered in or displaced from their native countries by war, famine, natural disaster, civil strife, and persecution. Since World War II, the United States has admitted thousands of children by themselves from crisis areas and refugee camps. Although these children constitute a relatively small percentage of the total population admitted to the United States as permanent residents and refugees, their vulnerability and the special requirements for their support, placement, and integration into society produce an impact out of proportion to their numbers.