Street-level bureaucrats and the governance of unaccompanied migrant children

Street-level bureaucrats implement public policy in daily face-to-face encounters with individuals. Through the sequence of decisions they make in these interactions, street-level bureaucrats govern the individuals they interact with. But, a lot is unknown about these interactions and the governance that occurs within them. This article investigates the encounters between street-level bureaucrats who implement immigration policy and Central American children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without their parents. Using process mapping and content analysis, the article seeks to determine the points at which street-level bureaucrats interact with unaccompanied migrant children, the agencies these street-level bureaucrats represent, and the responsibilities they have in the process. The findings of this study highlight the complexity through which street-level bureaucrats govern this vulnerable population and the import of their decisions, which construct the experience and outcome for unaccompanied migrant children.