U.S. Border Crisis Children's Relief Fund

Record numbers of unaccompanied minors have crossed the U.S. Southern Border since 2021. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services received a record 128,904 unaccompanied minors, up from 122,731 in the prior year. The vast majority of these children hailed from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

An unaccompanied is defined as a child under the age of 18 who has no lawful immigration status in the United States and, with respect to whom, there is no parent or legal guardian in the United States, or no parent or legal guardian in the United States available to provide care and physical custody.

While statistics show that 70% of unaccompanied minors are between the ages of 15 to 17, the percentage of children between the ages of 0 and 12 has grown 4% since 2018. So many of these children have experienced severe trauma and have been subjected to horrific exploitation en route to the border.

Many children attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border are asylum seekers left with no choice but to flee their homes. Seeking asylum is not a crime. Every child has a right to safety, protection and a future, regardless of who they are or where they’re from.

Save the Children is deeply concerned for the well-being all children, including unaccompanied children, crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. We have worked in Latin America for many years, addressing the root causes that force children to flee their homes.

Here's what we know about the issues that are forcing children to make the dangerous journey.

• Children are fleeing unimaginable violence in Central America
• Crushing poverty is pushing families to the brink
• The climate crisis has displaced families and children

How is Save the Children helping unaccompanied children at the U.S. Border?

Children’s best interests must be the guiding principle in all actions taken that will affect kids and families trying to cross the southern border. As such, Save the Children continues to advocate for children’s rights, humane treatment and care.

We are also helping meet the urgent needs of children and families by providing cash and critical supplies to a network of more than 35 shelters and social service agencies.

We are also committed to addressing the root causes of this crisis. We are expanding and strengthening programs focused on protection, education and peace-building in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.

Through cross-border collaboration, we are supporting children and families throughout the entire path of migration. The same families we support as they travel from the Northern Triangle countries are those the U.S. border communities are welcoming and providing respite.

Since May 2019, our programs along the U.S.-Mexico border have directly served more than 142,000 people, including 72,000 children. 

Links:

• Save the Children - U.S. Border Crisis