Unaccompanied Children Released to Sponsors by County - January 2021

When a child who is not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian is apprehended by immigration authorities, the child is transferred to the care and custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Federal law requires that ORR feed, shelter, and provide medical care for unaccompanied children until it is able to release them to safe settings with sponsors (usually family members), while they await immigration proceedings. These sponsors live in many states.

Sponsors are adults who are suitable to provide for the child's physical and mental well-being and have not engaged in any activity that would indicate a potential risk to the child. All sponsors must pass a background check. The sponsor must agree to ensure the child's presence at all future immigration proceedings. They also must agree to ensure the minor reports to ICE for removal from the United States if an immigration judge issues a removal order or voluntary departure order.

HHS is engaging with state officials to address concerns they may have about the care or impact of unaccompanied children in their states, while making sure the children are treated humanely and consistent with the law as they go through immigration court proceedings that will determine whether they will be removed and repatriated, or qualify for some form of relief.

HHS has strong policies in place to ensure the privacy and safety of unaccompanied children by maintaining the confidentiality of their personal information. These children may have histories of abuse or may be seeking safety from threats of violence. They may have been trafficked or smuggled. HHS cannot release information about individual children that could compromise the child's location or identity.

The following table shows county-level data for unaccompanied children released to sponsors by the counties/county equivalents where the sponsors live, where 50 or more children have been released for FY 2021 (since October 1, 2020) as of January 31, 2021.  This data covers 33 counties and county equivalents nationwide and comprises 3,423 of the 7,207 total children released to sponsors in this period. ACF will update this data each month. See the state-by-state data.

The following table shows county-level data for unaccompanied children released to sponsors by the counties/county equivalents where the sponsors live, where 50 or more children have been released for FY 2020 (since October 1, 2019) as of September 30, 2020.  This data covers 73 counties and county equivalents nationwide and comprises 10,682 of the 16,837 total children released to sponsors in this period. ACF will update this data each month. See the state-by-state data.

The following table shows county-level data for unaccompanied children released to sponsors by the counties/county equivalents where the sponsors live, where 50 or more children have been released for FY 2019 (since October 1, 2018) as of September 30, 2019. This data covers 226 counties and county equivalents nationwide and comprises 62,108 of the 72,837 total children released to sponsors in this period. ACF will update this data each month. See the state-by-state data. These data were updated in December 2019.

The following table shows county-level data for unaccompanied children released to sponsors by the counties/county equivalents where the sponsors live, where 50 or more children have been released for FY 2018 (since October 1, 2017) as of September 30, 2018. This data covers 124 counties and county equivalents nationwide and comprises 25,591 of the 34,953 total children released to sponsors in this period. ACF will update this data each month. See the state-by-state data. These data were updated in December 2019.

The following table shows county-level data for unaccompanied children released to sponsors by the counties/county equivalents where the sponsors live, where 50 or more children have been released for FY 2017 (since October 1, 2016) as of September 30, 2017. This data covers 138 counties and county equivalents nationwide and comprises 33,713 of the 42,497 total children released to sponsors in this period. ACF will update this data each month. See the state-by-state data. These data were updated in May 2018.

The following table shows county-level data for unaccompanied children released to sponsors by the counties/county equivalents where the sponsors live, where 50 or more children have been released for FY 2016 (since October 1, 2015) as of September 30, 2016. This data covers 156 counties and county equivalents nationwide and comprises 42,664 of the 52,147 total children released to sponsors in this period.

The following table shows county-level data for unaccompanied children released to sponsors by the counties where the sponsors live, where 50 or more children were released for FY 2015. This data covers 105 counties nationwide and comprises 20,088 of the 27,840 total children released to sponsors in this period. These data were updated in May 2016.

Content created by Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
Content last reviewed on February 25, 2021