DHS
US Customs & Border Protection
Mission
UAC & Family Units
Mass Land Migration
LCDR Nisha Money MD, MPH, ABIHM
Primary Reasons
Unaccompanied Alien Children Emigrate
‘‘unaccompanied alien child’’ refers to a child who: (A) has no lawful immigration status in the United States; (B)
has not attained 18 years of age; and (C) with respect to whom—(i) there is no parent or legal guardian in the United
States; or (ii) no parent or legal guardian in the United States is available to provide care and physical custody.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the lead agency for interdiction of UAC, and the Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS) for UAC care and release. The Unified Coordination Group (UCG) established
on June 2014 to ensure unity of effort across the executive branch comprises the Departments of Homeland Security
and all its components, Health and Human Services, Defense, GSA, and the State Department.
The figure below shows the movement of UAC through the apprehension to release process. During 2014, capacity
was exceeded during all points in the process laid out below.
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Federal, State & Local Public Health Response
Federal, State & Local Public Health
Response
CHALLENGES
Figure 1: UAC Encountered by Fiscal Year
1.
2.
3.
4.
Communicable Disease (Scabies, Chicken Pox, Chikungunya, Dengue)
Human and Sex Trafficking
Sexual Assault
Workforce Resilience (DV, Substance Abuse, DUI)
BEST PRACTICES FORWARD
• Inter-agency coordination and planning for mass
land migration
• State and local planning of public health response
& contact tracing
• HHS-ORR coordination
• ICE-ERO coordination
• CBP Resiliency Policy & Programs
• BREAKING NEWS – Surge Has Started