In committee
Upholding Protections for Unaccompanied Children Act of 2025
This bill eliminates a wide range of immigration fees for children who enter the United States without a parent or guardian, including charges for asylum applications, work permits, and immigration court cases, and requires the government to refund fees already collected. It also repeals federal authorities that permit physical body examinations of unaccompanied children held in government custody. Additionally, the measure prohibits health officials from sharing information about potential child sponsors with immigration enforcement agencies to carry out deportations.
People affected—not determinable from the text provided; targets current and former unaccompanied alien children and prospective sponsors, but does not provide population statistics.
Fiscal magnitude—no CBO estimate published
Reach50provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
What this bill touches.
Refugee & asylum policy+52Enforcement & security+45
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it helps
- Current and former unaccompanied immigrant childrenExempts current and former unaccompanied children from paying asylum fees, employment authorization document fees, immigration court fees, border apprehension fees, and removal-related fees, and entitles them to refunds of fees previously paid. Also repeals authority for DHS and ORR to conduct physical body examinations on them.
- Special Immigrant Juvenile status applicants and their parents or guardiansProhibits DHS from imposing fees on immigrant children, parents, or legal guardians applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile status, and entitles those who paid such fees to a refund within 180 days.
- Sponsors of unaccompanied immigrant childrenBars HHS from sharing sponsor information with DHS or other federal agencies for immigration enforcement purposes.
Who it burdens
- Department of Homeland Security and Department of JusticeRequires DHS and the Attorney General to issue refunds for repealed or exempted fees within 180 days, bars them from collecting various immigration fees from unaccompanied children and SIJ applicants, repeals funding/authority for physical body examinations and expedited removals, and bars DHS from obtaining HHS sponsor data for enforcement.
- Department of Health and Human ServicesRepeals authority and funding to perform physical body examinations on unaccompanied children and establishes a legal duty prohibiting the sharing of sponsor information with DHS or other federal agencies for immigration enforcement.