Unaccompanied migrant children, sometimes called UACs, have been coming to the United States without parents or guardians for decades.

Once they arrive and are processed, they move from a government-run shelter to an adult sponsor in a complicated process involving background checks and, in some cases, home visits conducted by social workers. Then, they can wait for a chance to gain legal status to stay in the U.S., a process that could take years.

Based on interviews with immigration experts and a review of federal policies and programs, here’s what their journey looks like.

Who are these children?

They come from all over the world, but most are from Central America and increasingly from Mexico. When they come to the U.S. without a parent or guardian, typically with a sibling or other family member, many of them are looking to reunite with parents or family already in the U.S. Others are fleeing violence or poverty.

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Their treks can last days on public buses, walking, riding boats and hitching on the tops of freight trains.

Most unaccompanied migrant children come from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador

The group of Central American countries has accounted for a majority of the minors, but other countries' shares are growing.

Source: Office of Refugee Resettlement • Daniel Zawodny/The Baltimore Banner

Some families send their children as a part of large groups to try to keep them safe. Others pay “coyotes” — essentially smugglers — to lead them to the U.S. border where they can be processed at ports of entry or try to cross illegally. Regardless of their methods to reach and cross the border, many are found and detained by the U.S. Border Patrol.

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Are they treated like other migrants?

The U.S. government recognizes these children as a particularly vulnerable group, and border agents are required to transfer them to minors-only shelters within 72 hours.

Those shelters are run by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

There, they have access to social workers and additional services they wouldn’t get at a border facility. These shelters are located around the country.

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But then they are released, right?

Yes, they are. But how long that takes depends on finding suitable care.

Over the past decade, the average stay for a minor in a federally run shelter before release to the child’s sponsor is 44 days.

The federal resettlement office tries to locate an adult sponsor in the U.S. with some relationship to the child who will also agree to care for them. It often ends up being a family member the child was attempting to reunite with.

So far this fiscal year, parents or legal guardians are the most common sponsors. If the resettlement agency can’t find a sponsor, the child could end up in a foster home.

In general, guardians other than the child’s parents receive a more thorough security check before a child can be placed in their care. But in every case, all adults living in the sponsor’s household must go through a fingerprinted background check.

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In some cases, social workers conduct in-person home visits. They’ll review where the child will be sleeping, the family’s school and child care plan, and more.

The Trump administration has questioned the rigor of the vetting process and has imposed stricter requirements for sponsors.

Historically, a lack of legal immigration status would not preclude an adult from being a sponsor; now, it might. If an unaccompanied child’s parent is in the U.S., but is undocumented, advocates say they worry the child will be prevented from reunification.

Does the government’s role stop after release?

Sort of.

Many are referred for “post-release services,” which can include access to therapy, case management and legal support. It’s typically administered by local nonprofit organizations, in some cases with the support of federal grants. In fiscal year 2021, 28% of children were referred for such services. In the fiscal year that ended mid-last year, it rose to 82%. Once in the community, sponsors typically enroll these children in local schools and help them seek legal assistance in a bid for a permanent stay in the U.S.

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Just because they are unaccompanied migrant children does not mean they automatically get legal immigration status. ICE will issue them an initial court date before a judge at which they’ll have to demonstrate a plan to apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Many apply for asylum or Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, both of which require extensive case preparation and have long backlogs.

As many as 26,000 kids have access to federally funded attorneys as part of a 2009 anti-trafficking law, but experts say that only covers a small percentage of the children. Many families can find private attorneys; others can’t.

For those who don’t qualify for legal status or are unable to apply, they could face deportation just like any other immigrant without legal status.