Upholding Protections for Unaccompanied Children Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10]
Introduced
Summary
This bill restores protections for unaccompanied children and removes financial and procedural barriers created by the One Big Beautiful Bill. It centers child-sensitive screening and due process consistent with the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and curbs practices that could expose children or sponsors to immigration enforcement.
Show full summary
- Unaccompanied children and families: The Act exempts unaccompanied alien children from a wide set of immigration and asylum-related fees, including asylum filing fees, employment authorization fees, Special Immigrant Juvenile fees, immigration court and in absentia removal fees, and border apprehension fees. It reinserts TVPRA-era protections and child-focused screening into the statutory framework.
- Sponsors and family members: The Department of Health and Human Services must not share information obtained under sponsor information rules with the Department of Homeland Security or other federal immigration-enforcement actors for enforcement purposes. This limits use of sponsor data in immigration actions.
- Agencies, medical practices, and refunds: The Act repeals OBBA provisions that changed protection screenings and that authorized body examinations by DHS and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. It also requires refunds to people who paid fees under the repealed or amended provisions within 180 days.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Lower fees and refunds for unaccompanied kids
If enacted, people who are or were found to be unaccompanied children would not pay many immigration fees. This would cover asylum application fees, work permit fees and renewals, some immigration court fees, fees tied to missed court (in absentia), and a border apprehension fee. It would also end the Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) fee and bar any fee tied to an SIJ application for the child or the parent or legal guardian. If you already paid a fee that this bill repeals or changes, DHS and the Attorney General would have to refund you within 180 days after enactment.
End body exams for unaccompanied children
If enacted, the bill would repeal parts of current law that let DHS and the Office of Refugee Resettlement conduct body examinations of unaccompanied children. It would also remove an OBBA provision on protection screenings and fair legal process for these children. This would end those specific examination and screening authorities.
Protect sponsor info from immigration enforcement
If enacted, Health and Human Services would not share sponsor or child information collected under Section 87001 with DHS or other agencies to enforce immigration laws. This would protect sponsors and unaccompanied children from having HHS data used for immigration enforcement.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10]
NY • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]
WA • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Casar, Greg [D-TX-35]
TX • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Jacobs, Sara [D-CA-51]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Simon
CA • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Davis (IL)
IL • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Schakowsky
IL • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Pingree
ME • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1]
NV • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12]
PA • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9]
NY • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Carson
IN • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6]
OR • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2]
HI • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Lofgren
CA • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6]
NY • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3]
AZ • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2]
NC • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Morrison, Kelly [D-MN-3]
MN • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1]
CO • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
McClellan
VA • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Torres, Norma J. [D-CA-35]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Stansbury
NM • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Crockett
TX • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]
NJ • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Johnson (GA)
GA • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6]
MI • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. McClain Delaney, April [D-MD-6]
MD • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5]
CT • D
Sponsored 1/7/2026
Rep. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ-8]
NJ • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3]
OR • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4]
PA • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Latimer, George [D-NY-16]
NY • D
Sponsored 3/5/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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