Between October 1, 2014, and March 1, 2023, the US Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) took custody of 568,890 unaccompanied migrant children. Drawing on a unique dataset that ORR produced in response to Freedom of Information Act requests and litigation, we provide the first comprehensive, long-term demographic study of the population of unaccompanied migrant children while in ORR custody. Our analysis reveals the children's differential treatment and experiences across time and demographic characteristics. We contextualize ORR's treatment of the children in its custody by identifying legal standards governing their care. We also examine how specific instances of legal, political, and social change in the United States correlate with fluctuations in the origin-based demographics of unaccompanied migrant children seeking refuge in the United States. Results highlight the differential treatment and intense uncertainty that unaccompanied migrant children face in the United States based on their age, gender, country and region of origin, ORR program placements, and discharge types.

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美国政府监管下的无人陪伴移民儿童：2014-2023

2014年10月1日至2023年3月1日期间，美国难民安置办公室（ORR）监管了568,890名无人陪伴的移民儿童。我们利用 ORR 为响应《信息自由法》要求和诉讼而生成的独特数据集，对 ORR 监管期间无人陪伴的移民儿童人口进行了首次全面、长期的人口统计研究。我们的分析揭示了儿童在不同时间和人口特征上的差异化待遇和经历。我们通过确定管理儿童护理的法律标准，将 ORR 对其监护下的儿童的待遇结合起来。我们还研究了美国法律、政治和社会变革的具体实例如何与在美国寻求庇护的无人陪伴移民儿童的原籍人口统计波动相关。结果突显了无人陪伴的移民儿童在美国因年龄、性别、原籍国家和地区、ORR 计划安置和出院类型而面临的差别待遇和强烈的不确定性。