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The Division of Unaccompanied Children's Services (DUCS) is a part of the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which is a part of the Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. DUCS has legal care and custody of all undocumented and unaccompanied children who are found in the United States and referred to ORR by the Department of Homeland Security. These alien minors are commonly known as DUCS minors. DUCS makes all decisions regarding care arrangements and educational, medical and mental health services for these minors while they are in federal custody. 2. Who are DUCS minors? 3. Why do they come to the United States? DUCS minors have come to the United States for many reasons: reuniting with family, pursuing education or employment, escaping family violence or abuse, fleeing political or religious persecution, and seeking protection from gang violence or recruitment. Some children are brought here by adults seeking to exploit them for commercial sex work, domestic servitude or other forced labor. The reason a particular child comes to the United States could be a combination of several of these reasons or other reasons not listed. 4. Where does DUCS keep these minors? ORR/DUCS contracts with care providers throughout the United States, mainly in areas of high migration arrivals. There are various types of settings: large residential centers, group homes, juvenile justice programs, residential treatment programs and community-based group or family foster care. Likewise there are different levels of security and supervision ranging from the least restrictive community-based foster care to a juvenile justice lock down facility. 5. What happens to the DUCS minors? Most of the DUCS minors are released to live with family members while they continue through the immigration court process. Others return voluntarily or are deported back to their country of origin within a few weeks of placement. Some DUCS minors will be able to stay in the United States because they receive a form of legal relief such as political asylum, adjustment of status to legal permanent residence through a citizen or permanent resident family member, special immigrant juvenile status, a T-Visa for trafficking victims or a U-Visa for crime victims. Unfortunately, these children often aren't aware of what immigration relief may be available to them. And they often don't know the legal status of their parents or other family members, which might have a bearing on their cases. Legal representation is therefore very important to ensure that they receive the appropriate legal remedy. Legal representation can also ensure that the return to the country of origin is carried out safely. Most children receive some form of legal orientation from nonprofit legal projects located near the ORR/DUCS programs, but we estimate that fewer than half of the children receive individual representation either from legal projects or through pro bono or paid private attorneys. 6. Who are the DUCS field coordinators? DUCS field coordinators are child welfare professionals employed by LIRS or the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) through a cooperative agreement with ORR/DUCS. Although they carry out their work on behalf of ORR, they are not federal employees. 7. What are the qualifications of the field coordinators? DUCS field coordinators are experienced child welfare professionals with master's degrees in social work or equivalent field experience. Many have prior experience working with refugee and immigrant children or children in detention. 8. What do the field coordinators actually do? Each regionally based field coordinator oversees the best interest of children in ORR care regarding care and release decisions. The field coordinator
9. How many field coordinators are there? Nationally, there are currently 16 field coordinators, several field support staff and many LIRS and USCCB staff who manage and support the field efforts. The number of field staff is evaluated on an ongoing basis to assure adequate provision of services nationwide. 10. Where are the field coordinators placed? Field coordinators are strategically placed near ORR-contracted programs and providers in areas where there are large numbers of unaccompanied children entering the United States. Current field sites are Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix, Seattle, and four sites in Texas : El Paso , Harlingen , Houston and San Antonio. 11. What is the role of the DUCS field coordinators in relation to immigration attorneys and legal projects? The field coordinator's role is to assess each child's situation to make recommendations for placement and treatment. The attorney's role is to advise and represent children in their pursuit of legal immigration relief. The field coordinator consults with the attorney in order to determine how the child's immigration court proceedings might impact the child's care arrangements, including release to family. Likewise the field coordinator may be able to assist the attorney in understanding the longer-term implications of a particular strategy on the child's best interest.
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