Emergency Care of Pediatric Asylum Seekers in the United States

There has been a significant increase in the number of asylum-seekers entering the United States in recent years, including children and unaccompanied minors. Upon arrival to the country, these young patients may seek care in an emergency department for acute medical issues related to their journey or chronic conditions that were undiagnosed or inadequately treated in their country of origin. The purpose of this article is to familiarize emergency department clinicians with the common medical conditions seen in pediatric asylum-seekers and outline the ethical and legal issues that may arise when caring for this vulnerable patient population.