Instead of being released to the man who trafficked her as a young teen, Tracy received services from the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) program. She credits this program for helping her find safety from child sexual abuse and violence. The URM program “serves some of the most vulnerable minors in the world — those who fled persecution, violence, or abuse.” Beyond protection, Tracy attributes her current “nice life” as an office worker and a devoted mom to the URM program.

The services Tracy received are supported in large part by federal dollars. An executive order issued on Jan. 20 abruptly halted this program’s essential funding. Although a federal judge blocked the executive action, critical support is still lacking. This pause in funding has an immediate adverse impact on URM services and organizations, many of which are locally based. The executive order signals an uncertain future for the URM program that has helped Tracy — and so many others.

In 2024, we interviewed people who came to the United States as children without their parents and then received assistance from the URM program. We heard in vivid detail how this program positively impacted their lives.

Veronica, one of the many beneficiaries of the URM program, came to this country without her parents to flee the risk of being murdered as a minor. Veronica told us, “The URM program helped us to be independent … to follow our dreams.” She explained that the services she received helped her to learn English, receive an education and heal the trauma of experiencing severe child abuse. Now, living in the United States, she is a fiercely committed mother, a service worker and an artist who continues working with the URM program as a volunteer “to give back what was given to me.”

Another beneficiary of the program was Valeria. Due to child sexual abuse and violence, she explained that she came to the United States alone as a minor to escape her unbearable circumstances and to ensure that her future children “wouldn’t suffer the way I have suffered.” Once engaged with the URM program, Valeria was able to go to school — which she hadn’t attended since she was a young child. Now, Valeria is a new mom and happily married to a man who was also in the program. She stated that they are “doing really well” and “don’t need anything,” although her husband has “long work hours from 5 in the morning to 8 at night.”

These are just a few of the many stories we heard during our interviews. All of the people we spoke with had experienced severe childhood abuse and neglect and came to the United States as children for protection. They all remain here legally and meet traditional American definitions of success. What we encountered during our conversations is consistent with a larger body of evidence that the URM program helps unaccompanied refugee children become successful adults, such as demonstrating high levels of civic engagement, educational attainment, employment and self-sufficiency.

The executive order that led to a dramatic pause in federal funding for refugee services is not yet law. Continued public and political support is needed for the necessary resources to be reinstated. This resumption will allow the URM program to continue serving refugee children in the United States.

Given this moment of deep divides, support for this program is perhaps a place of cooperation. Working to uplift the lives of refugee children is consistent with liberal priorities, Christian mandates, and the American ethos (as similarly noted by The Baltimore Sun editorial board). In addition to common values, evidence demonstrates that the URM program is a relatively low-cost, high-reward investment from the federal government that not only protects vulnerable children but strengthens the lives of new Americans and their American children — which is consistent with the conditions for resumption outlined in the executive order.

The future of the URM program stands to impact thousands of children’s lives. While holding her sleeping baby, Tracy told us, “I don’t know what would’ve happened to me without the program.”

Morgan Pardue-Kim is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. Kerri Evans is an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Department of Social Work. Celene Viveros Garces is a college student and research assistant who received services for unaccompanied children as a minor. All names of refugee program participants have been changed to comply with Office for Human Research Protections guidelines. The opinions expressed here are the authors’ own and do not represent those of their respective institutions.