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Chapter 2: The Flores Saga, a 20-Year Retrospective of the Unaccompanied Children’s Program in the U.S.

The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) and The Children’s Village present chapter two of Where We Stand: A 20-Year Retrospective of the Unaccompanied Children’s Program in the United States. The retrospective will review the Unaccompanied Children’s Program from the passage of the Homeland Security Act (HSA) of 2002 until today. It assesses 20 years of legislation, policies, litigation, and, most importantly, the U.S. federal government’s care of unaccompanied migrating children, with a view toward the next steps and improvements for the years ahead.

The second chapter looks at the Flores settlement agreement and features interviews with government staff and Flores counsel. In this chapter, we will not give a complete history of Flores but rather highlight actions that were most critical to the Unaccompanied Children’s Program. It covers three main areas: background on Flores v. Garland, the Flores enforcement action of 2004, and the current state of Flores.

To read the first chapter, please click here.