Since its first days, the Trump Administration has sought to weaken or eliminate protections for unaccompanied children as part of broader measures to deter asylum seekers. With the plight of these children garnering more attention, questions arise about the purpose, origins, and history of the protection system for unaccompanied children arriving to the United States. This backgrounder aims to inform current policy discussions by providing a broader historical context, including how and when these protections were developed and why they are important for unaccompanied children.