Children's Issues, Laws and Programs: Children's Issues and Challenges - CRS Reports from 2017 to 2018 (PDF)

This book includes CRS reports from 2017 to 2018 and is focused on children's issues, such as unaccompanied alien children (UAC) runaway and homeless youth, the DACA Program as well as recent privacy and security issues associated with the increasing number of smart toys being created for children. The number of unaccompanied alien children that are attempting to enter the US, usually from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, account for almost all UAC cases. Agencies in the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) share responsibility for the processing, treatment and placement of UAC. This report addresses the background, scope of the issue, current policy, processing and treatment of apprehended UAC and suggests what should be done going forward. The next report discusses runaway and homeless youth and the federal response to support this population. Next, the DACA program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) created by President Obama is examined and all the questions associated with this program, including whether DACA recipients are legally allowed to work in the US, the current status of the DACA program and the eligibility requirements for consideration of DACA. Finally, the short 3-page report on smart toys examines how the potential misuse of toys may make children vulnerable and suggests ways to protect the privacy and safety of children in this increasingly digital world.