by America Hernandez-Lemus, MSW, Jasiel Fernandez, MA, and Suzanne Tomatore, Esq.
Introduction
Unaccompanied immigrant children arriving in the United States often flee severe persecution, violence, and exploitation in their countries of origin, only to face new dangers during their journey and upon arrival. Modeling remarkable resilience, they face complex immigration proceedings, new caregiving arrangements, and limited financial support. Their young age, ongoing neurobiological development, and need for attachment make them particularly vulnerable to manipulation and exploitation (KIND, 2025). These vulnerabilities, combined with gaps in child protection systems, create a high-risk environment for labor exploitation and human trafficking.
Child welfare professionals hold a unique position to intervene and support unaccompanied immigrant youth. By understanding their distinct needs and applying culturally responsive, trauma-informed approaches, professionals can strengthen their safety net, promote healing, and foster post-traumatic growth.
Federal System Gaps and the Risk for Exploitation
Unaccompanied children—defined by immigration law as children who at the time of apprehension are under the age of eighteen and have neither lawful immigration status or a parent/legal guardian in the United States available to provide care and physical custody over them—are placed in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) under the Department of Health and Human Services (Homeland Security Act of 2002, 6 U.S.C. § 279(g)(2); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2024). Sponsors, often family members, must ensure the child’s safety and meet their basic needs, but often face their own legal and economic challenges (Greenbaum et al., 2023).
A 2023 New York Times investigation revealed widespread labor exploitation of unaccompanied children across industries and states, citing, among other causes, systemic failures in post-release oversight, which leave youth open to abuse (Dreier, 2023).
Child welfare professionals must recognize that unaccompanied youth may not present with traditional indicators of abuse. Instead, signs of exploitation may be subtle and intertwine with survival strategies.
In 2024, the federal Post-Release Services (PRS) program expanded to include legal aid, case management, and an Ombuds Office (Children’s Immigration Law Academy, 2025). PRS prioritizes youth with heightened vulnerabilities—such as disabilities, LGBTQI+ identities, or human trafficking histories—and offers trauma-informed services in the child’s preferred language. However, services end at age 18, and due to backlogs in processing of immigration cases, which can take years, when youth age out of PRS services they often still lack legal status, stable housing, or career options, increasing their risk of exploitation.
Jurisdictional Gaps and the Child Welfare System
Although the child welfare system focuses on ensuring safety and well-being, unaccompanied youth often fall through the cracks due to jurisdictional and systemic barriers. Because of federal custody dynamics, state child welfare agencies do not automatically hold responsibility unless post-release harm reporting occurs. Even when involved, many professionals lack training in immigration law, trauma-informed care for unaccompanied youth, and cultural humility—leading to missed opportunities for intervention (Young et al., 2024).
Child welfare professionals must recognize that unaccompanied youth may not present with traditional indicators of abuse. Instead, signs of exploitation may be subtle and intertwine with survival strategies. Understanding the legal context and psychosocial needs of such youth becomes essential to providing meaningful support.
A Trauma-Informed Response: The CARE Toolkit
To better equip unaccompanied youth-serving professionals, KIND developed the CARE Intervention Toolkit—Connect, Assess, Respond, and Educate—grounded in trauma-informed care, cultural responsiveness, and psychological first aid principles (KIND, 2025). The toolkit advises professionals to:
- Connect: Build trust and safety by explaining a professional's role, empowering youth with choices, avoiding judgment, and practicing cultural humility.
- Assess: Identify signs of exploitation, safety risks, and unmet needs. Screen for trafficking indicators and connect youth to resources.
- Respond: Coordinate legal, psychosocial, and protective services. Refer youth to immigration or employment attorneys and connect them to support networks and culturally affirming spaces that foster resilience.
- Educate: Empower youth with knowledge of their rights, labor protections, and available services. Provide multilingual materials and encourage informed decision-making.
The CARE Toolkit helps professionals navigate sensitive conversations, recognize exploitation, and take actionable steps to protect and empower youth. It can also aid child welfare professionals who may be the first point of contact for youth experiencing trafficking or exploitation.
KIND has also created a variety of educational materials through its Labor Exploitation Prevention Program that are publicly available through KIND’s website and linked to the toolkit.
Call to Action for Child Welfare Professionals
Child welfare professionals play a critical role in identifying and supporting unaccompanied children who face the risk of or are actively experiencing exploitation or human trafficking. Within their roles, professionals can:
- Commit to continued learning and growth on how to best work with newcomer youth populations.
- Screen for exploitation and human trafficking indicators during intake and case management.
- Make legal referrals to immigration and employment attorneys.
- Support integration by connecting youth to education, healthcare, and community services.
- Create culturally affirming spaces that promote healing and post-traumatic growth.
- Advocate for policy change that prioritizes child welfare over enforcement.
- Collaborate with community partners to build safety nets and long-term support systems.
By applying trauma-informed tools like the CARE Toolkit and understanding the unique potential vulnerabilities of unaccompanied youth, child welfare professionals can help ensure these children are not left behind, fostering a climate of empowerment for the youth, and ultimately, helping them thrive.
America Hernandez-Lemus, MSW, is Director of Psychosocial Training at KIND. She advances care systems for unaccompanied children by empowering and equipping the professionals who support them. Contact:
[email protected]
Jasiel Fernandez, MA, is Acting Vice President of Psychosocial Services at KIND. She leads KIND teams supporting the social services needs of unaccompanied and separated children in the U.S., Europe, and Mexico-Central America regions. Contact: [email protected]
Suzanne Tomatore, Esq., brings more than twenty years of experience advocating for immigrant survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, child abuse, and violent gender-based crimes. She is based in New York City.