Upholding Protections for Unaccompanied Children Act of 2025

This bill seeks to amend or repeal specific provisions of Public Law 119-21 that are deemed to undermine protections and heighten dangers for unaccompanied alien children. Its primary goal is to restore and strengthen safeguards for this vulnerable population within the immigration system. A significant aspect of the bill involves exempting unaccompanied alien children from a wide array of immigration-related fees. These exemptions cover fees for asylum applications , employment authorization documents , and annual asylum fees . Furthermore, it explicitly repeals the Special Immigrant Juvenile fee and clarifies that no fee may be imposed for this status, ensuring financial barriers are removed for children seeking protection. The legislation also addresses other critical protections by limiting certain body examinations conducted by the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the Department of Homeland Security. Crucially, it restricts the sharing of information obtained from sponsors of unaccompanied alien children, prohibiting its use by the Department of Homeland Security or other federal agencies for the purpose of immigration law enforcement . Finally, the bill mandates that the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Attorney General refund any fees previously paid by or on behalf of individuals now exempted under these new provisions within 180 days of enactment.